


Utopia

by KobaltWeeb



Category: Fiction - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27258697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KobaltWeeb/pseuds/KobaltWeeb
Summary: A modern world where monsters and mythos live along side humans.After a war, werewolves are hunted to “extinction” but as the world is soon to find out, they missed a couple.
Kudos: 34





	1. Where it all begins

“Bloody humans, why do they leave so much trash behind in their wake? Mmf! And they call us monsters! Ha!” Mike said with a hushed growl, the typical grumbles of his daily routine.  
The street was dripping with liquid smog and littered with gash from humans.  
A gas station plastic bag flew onto his wet tail and he shook it off, gross.  
His ripped shoes were wet and cold, the dirt of the street speckling the tops of his shoes and pants.  
It’s not exactly easy to “show off” and show out when you don’t have the money to do so.  
Mike always wanted to be eccentric and able to show off his inner style but he couldn’t exactly do that in his position.  
He walked past street lamps and alleyways, the cement road shimmering with sparkly stones.  
His hands ached and he flexed them and watched as his claws came out ever so slightly, he wanted to shift so badly.  
Such a rough life for him, he never did anything wrong but here he was.  
Hated for simply being born.  
Ever since the supposed “extermination” it was harder to live like a normal person.  
All because of some careless cats that had too much fun scaring the living daylights out of the humans.  
The mandatory hunting of all werewolves, he had to live away from the human public eye and monsters alike.  
The humans, always so quick to judge, steal and murder.  
Back in 1964, an attack was planned to wipe out all the humans and take the world back for the monsters.  
The “leaders” were grunts and brutes, behind the scenes there were “higher bloods” tugging the strings and playing the lower monsters to their whims.  
Because of the horrible human wars before, werewolves were only seen as dangerous monsters used for combat and fighting.  
Vicious bloodthirsty creatures, willing to fight for anything.  
They were the largest supporting group alongside humans fighting in foreign affairs and human wars.  
They only joined as to be means to an end of the ridiculous bloodshed between petty humans.  
They joined the attack to try and free their comrades, it was said they almost achieved their goal, but cut short by higher bloods stepping in.  
The same monsters who sought to destroy the humans stopped the army they raised, they saw there was a more evil plan they wanted to go through with.

Taking out their biggest rival.

The world hated his kind for no reason, there were a lot more dangerous monsters out there and they decided on his kind to wipe out.

Mike pulled his bunny hug hood down as a police car drove by, a satyr officer.  
He saw the man's goat eyes shine through the dark window with the red and blue lights flashing, looking like death on hooves.  
He almost fell on his face as he tripped on a street sidewalk instead falling into a puddle, great.

“I just cleaned this hoodie yesterday! Ugh fuck my life!” The end came out as a start of a howl and he had to cover his mouth to not let it escape his cold lips, he bit his tongue.  
If he wanted to keep living a somewhat normal life he had to act like a normal human.  
He has been acting as one for his whole life, ever since he was a pup.  
His mother was a human as was his father and the rest of his family.  
He was the odd one out, the heathen.  
He could never help when he bit too hard with his fangs or caught birds and fish with his bare hands and tried to bring them home as food.  
His instincts told him to, but he went against them too much now to even remember what running in a field or howling at the top of his lungs felt like.  
He turned into an alleyway and slipped into one of the rain gutters and sat in silence as his stomachs growled.  
Trying to suppress the hunger, he lit a small cigarette he found and left out a shuddering breath.  
He rarely smoked as he only found darts, never bought them.  
He worked a job on a farm outside of the city for barely nothing, hardly enough to feed himself sometimes.  
He was used to eating scraps and wild animals, even a house cat would do in a pinch sometimes.  
It was a horrible life but better than just showing his fangs and tail in a store and getting put in jail for the rest of his sad life until he was put to death.  
He still had somewhat a shred of freedom and choice in his life and that was all he’d need to cling to keep going.  
A skull dog walked past him, huffing and coughing out his lungs.  
“Stop smoking queer! it’s bad for everybody else around you!”  
He kept walking and took an extra long haul off his dart and blew it in the direction of the dog.

Pffff dogs, they’re all so petty and ready to help humans.  
But he kept walking, thinking of his freedom.

To keep fighting.

He was deep in thought when there was a huge smash of a window and in a flash a human was running away from a house with a woman crying and yelling at the fleeing person to stop and for someone to help her.  
A mermaid, an elderly mermaid at that too.

“Ma’am are you okay? Do you need help?!” Mike asked in bewilderment at the women.  
“That horrible human just stole my sea crown! I’ve had that crown since I was a young girl! Please sir please get it back! I will be in your debt!” The woman cried in desperation and with tears in her eyes.  
He nodded and bolted down the alleyway, tracking his scent and his footsteps sounding loudly against the stone buildings, he's clumsy.  
Mike quickly caught up to him and without showing his wolf form and pried the smooth shiny old box out of the thief's hands and kicked him in his crown jewels, the thief dropped and passed out from the pain.  
He sauntered back slowly and carefully as to not drop the delicate article he held in his arms.  
The dainty lady was in tears at the safety of her possession and upon seeing it again and in one piece started bawling and sobbing in relief.  
“Young sir thank you! What do you request for your heroism? Please sir, anything!”  
“Thank you madam but I do not require anything in return”  
“My dear please anything! Even just a warm meal!”  
His ears perked at said meal.  
“Oh well alas I could definitely not turn down a warm meal my great lady”  
Food, anything was good.  
The lady invited him into her house and made him some cooked fish and offered a spare bed to him as a good dead and he gladly accepted.  
He hadn’t slept in a real bed since he was a child.  
The meal and roof were greatly appreciated and he thanked her, she also offered him her bathroom as she never obviously used it and he took the chance to have a shower and clean himself.  
He hadn’t felt warm water since summer, he had left a large tub outside with water in it and it was warm and soothing to his hands and legs after a spot of hunting.  
He had moved from a small hostile town to the city and lost all his comforts in the process.  
Living in the streets was hard enough as it was but as an omega werewolf even harder.  
He could never find omega suppressants that weren’t expired or for a different monster.  
Heats were horrible, especially with nobody to help him or even be his friend.  
He was completely alone in this world, only relying on himself and never trusting anybody.  
In the morning the mermaid sent him off with preserved fish and some money to “buy himself something nice”  
$250 gold, he used it all for food and suppressants.  
He would find discarded clothing in the dumpsters and near playgrounds for children, his skinny tall frame would fit most shirts easily and stretch those that wouldn’t.  
He only had a couple pairs of pants and mismatched shoes but he didn’t care.

He made his way home and slumped into his “bed” with a huff and just thought about his past.

His “home” was an old abandoned horse shed behind a condemned house that’s been vacant for longer than he’s been alive.  
A garbage bag full of moss and old leaves as a bed and a small hand crank radio, a single pot and some old books.  
A tiny fire pit inside the shack, a tiny handmade stool and a couple dirty rugs as flooring.  
Lighters were easy to find, or steal so he had enough firepower to cook food that he caught or stole.  
He had a single photo frame with a crisp old photo of him and his family, when he was just born.  
He pulled his patched blanket over himself and shivered.  
Winter was quickly approaching and his meek hut was hardly enough to keep himself warm, especially because he couldn’t shift and grow fur on himself.  
He didn’t trust himself to shift, what if the stories were true and he just lost control?  
He’d shift when he was a lad but his parents always told him to stay in his form and never shifted back in public.  
He’d hunt small animals and frolic in fields of tall grass to fill his childhood days.

But then he ran away, afraid to harm his family or bring people to them and hurt them.

Life would be so much easier if people used common sense and didn’t kill werewolves just because they’re werewolves.  
It’s like killing a snake just because it’s a snake.  
Werewolves used to be strong and gentle monsters, good hunters and providers and helped build towns and buildings back before the attack.  
They set railroads across countries and paved roads for villages long before humans appeared.  
They were the first, they were the trailblazers for humans to tread in their steps.  
They grew from the dirt up in that land and are being treated like aliens nowadays.  
Werewolves started to become myth and treated and thought of like dinosaurs, only since humans started to invade their lands and make it theirs.

But now, we were seen as dirty mutts and filth, an animal to hunt and shoot at.  
There were some places that didn’t care and would allow any monster in, black list or not, anybody.  
Bars and clubs and some underground stores or vendors who wouldn’t call the cops on you just based on your blood.  
The upgrade to living in a city, there’s always a place for you.

Mike had always wanted to actually go to one of the underworlds (allow werewolves) or a black list pub and actually see people and maybe even make a friend, but he was always afraid to be caught.

Or worse…

He was always just going day by day on food and wasn’t actually able to even get a can of pop.

He went on a walk and searched some dumpsters as the sun was starting to go down and found some old clothes and food, mostly all expired but still edible.  
He found a big coat and some old canned goods.  
But he also searched behind a yeti barber shop and found bags upon bags of soft warm fluffy fur, perfect.  
He knew how to knit and spin wool and this was perfect material for wool.  
He had a makeshift spinning wheel made out of a bicycle and some natural birch wood he had on hand, it got the job done.  
He hadn’t had fur to make into wool for months and because of the incoming cold weather, it was perfect timing to find those bags.  
The young wolf learned how to knit and spin wool when he was around five years of age, he was very very young.  
He was always a good provider and knew how to hunt and cook, to build and create, to heal and to listen.  
Among the clothes he found a couple random coins and food stamps so that was good…  
But his luck got even better once he found a small pouch and found a wallet in it!  
There was no ID, just food stamps, gift cards and cash.  
He cried when he saw a couple hundred dollars and multiple grocery store gift cards.  
Though the whole thing was weird and a bit off.  
He felt someone was there or watching him when he found that wallet.  
And the fact it had an alphas fresh scent on it but he thought maybe some stupid alpha dropped it or lost it and it got thrown away.  
It was really fresh though, like day old not even.  
Mike powered through his paranoia and thought it would be the perfect time to buy some werecat suppressants!  
As the werecat suppressants were the closest thing to werewolf suppressants and the cheapest option.

He’d always thought he should get spayed because it was a permanent fix but he still wanted to have children or he dreamed at least.  
He’d tried dating other monsters, first a mermaid, a fairy, a demon and a human girl.  
They would always pressure him or black mail him to stay with them.  
That’s also why he had trust issues.  
Along with relationships, family as well.  
He was always threatened by his siblings to expose his identity and even after being raped he still didn’t fight back.  
His last act of rebellion was leaving his house with nothing but some clothes and sentimental items.  
No medicine, no food, nothing but identification, photos and a couple of clothes and warm coats.  
He felt like a new soul when he left though, free from his family’s confines and rules and bullying.  
His constant abuse and restrictions, his spirit felt trapped and repressed.  
But now, his life was in his own claws.  
Nobody told him what to do or what to say, nobody could contain him if he chose to.  
He kept his identity under wraps and only told those that wouldn’t care, like the old farmer who offered him a job because of his skill and work ethic.  
Being an omega though, was dangerous especially because multiple monsters fall into omega/alpha/beta endo types or mimic the behaviour.  
But at least werecats have similar endotypes that he could use those suppressants instead.

So the young man walked into the pharmacy and grabbed the cheapest one available and headed to the self checkout, bad mistake.  
He kept bumping into displays and getting distracted by food and items he didn’t need.  
He walked into the line up and saw an open checkout and quickly moved to it and scanned his suppressants with hast.  
He didn’t want to be in there anymore then he needed to be, by any means.  
Just as he paid for his item he felt a huff behind him and felt the hair on the back of his next start to rise.

No no no no no! Not now! Not like this!

He played it off cool and innocent, naive whatever might make his situation look more sad or pitiful.  
He turned and whimpered as the stranger touched the sleeve of his coat, play it cool.  
He slowly turned around and saw a tall alpha towering over him, he’s 6’ so he was rightfully scared.  
He smelled him before he saw him, he’s got the best nose but sadly it couldn’t help much.  
“What’s wrong little omega? Why are you so scared? Why do you need those horrible things!” The large werecat, a tiger, pointed at the small box of bulk no name brand omega suppressants.

-Ahh I see, a pro-life kind of asshole.

“You know those kill you right? And then you can’t give your alpha kits! Bad bad kitty!” The alpha totted and taps the omegas nose like a child.  
“Oh uh uh these are just temporary haha thank you for your concern though….” he slowly spoke softer as he tried to walk closer to the exit.  
“Oh no come here pretty kitty! I’ve never smelled a cat quite like you~”  
Mike was already at the door ready to escape but the man got a hold of his tail, pulling him back and started taking whiffs of his neck, oh god no please.  
He tried to run but all his instincts were telling him to calm down and just give in to the alpha, no.  
He wasn’t going to let his hormones take away his freedom, not like this.  
He carefully pretended to drop the suppressants in a trash bin but slid them up his shirt, good he didn’t notice.  
He put on a smile and wide eyes to look back at his attacker, trying to look like he’s fallen for the creep.  
“Oh okay, do you wanna maybe take this to your car…?” He said with a naive and shaky, needy voice, trying to set the bait of him getting out that door.  
“Oh what a good kitty~ she even follows commands~ well then since you’re such a good girl we can go then~” his voice filling with pride and smugness, stupidity Mike smelled.  
The fact he also called him a girl.  
But, his plan worked perfectly.  
The man led him to his car, an expensive one. Cherry red convertible with classic leather seats, oh those look so perfect for destroying.  
He made that a note on his hand and filed it off into his head for later.  
Mike took three minutes to “look over the car” when in actuality he was checking his exit points and planning his escape.  
He knew the street here like the back of his hand thankfully and remembered there is an old vampire lady with a garden down the hill that knows him and let him sleep in her backyard in a tent to help fix said garden up a month or so ago.  
Perfect, quick execution and she has let him in her territory so she would be fine with it and that werejerk wouldn’t be able to get in without risking his death.  
As soon as he mapped it and timed it he made an excuse to go to the bathroom, he stayed starry eyed and submissive and promised the alpha that “he’d come right back like a good kitty”.

Worked like a charm.

Stupid alpha took it hook and sinker or should he say sucker?  
He dashed as soon as he got close to the car, swiping the pervs wallet in the process.  
The man was too busy to notice while brushing his hair that his prey was long gone.

He hopped over the railing by the hill leading to the ladies yard and slipped on a piece of sleek plastic.  
He started falling and rolling down the hill, holding the suppressants under the front of his shirt while being braced by his arms so as to not crush them while he tumbled.

Cronch!

“Okay… that……..hurt”  
Mike said with a pained inhale of air, yep something’s broken.  
He found some cloth and a plank of wood and made a splint for his leg, maybe he sprained it.  
It wasn’t until he finally limped back home did he notice what actually happened.

He completely broke his leg.

The adrenaline had been pumping through him too much to notice.  
This was gonna be a bitch to heal.  
While his adrenaline lingered in his veins he set out pans to collect water if it rained and brought his food and lighters closer to his “bed” side.  
This was gonna be atleast a day to heal, fuck sakes.  
While it would only take maybe an hour for a normal werewolf to heal, Mike needs more time as he can’t shift.  
His food was getting low and he was starting to get tired of eating straight salted fish and dog food.  
Though he was directly related to wolves, he hated dog food as much as the next person, but it was cheap, and somewhat edible at least more than a house cat.

He decided to go out even with his broken leg to the underground, it didn’t hurt that much.  
His leg still hurt as he slowly limped and walked to the underworld secluded city and bought some food and surprisingly, a bottle of vodka, just to help pass the time.  
As he walked into his shed he smelt something faint on his wooden shed handle, someone.  
Weird but maybe it was just his own scent from when he left.  
He slumped onto the crude stool next to the tiny fire pit inside the hut, heat will help warm me up internally and emotionally.  
He lit some tinder and sat back and relaxed, broken leg? Nah it’s fine...  
The vodka helped with the pain big time.  
He was impossibly lucky to have gotten away from that creep today, too bad he broke his leg in the process…  
His back ached as his hand wavered as he stared at the fire while it wavered and grew, consuming the kindling underneath with hunger.  
He felt his shoulders and arms feel alight with pain but thought for a second.  
What if he was like a fire? Relentless and blazing. Strong and free. To be feared or atleast treated as a legitimate threat.

He didn’t want to be seen as a threat, just respected and actually seen for his person and not his blood, his monster type.  
He blew out the fire and currelled up in his bed and passed out, hard.

He felt good for once, warm and coaxing him into deep sleep.  
But that warmth didn’t last long.

His dreams were filled with thunder and panic, a huge nightmare settling into his brain and staining his unconscious.  
Useless bloodshed and murder, poor innocent children killed for running in a dog run and shifting back infront of people and having the cops called on them.  
He saw himself, a young kid, running through mountains and rivers.  
Free from humans and living life like his ancestors did, free to roam his land.  
Away from prying eyes and threats of getting beheaded or hunted like an animal.  
Cyclops, trolls, shape shifters…. so many monsters that have proved to be more dangerous or more unpredictable systematically and yet the only monster they kill off or even put restrictions on is his.  
His kind was killed off and put into story books for children.  
His shifted coat was worth a lot of money in a normal market.

His skin meant more than his ethic, his soul.

He saw his skin hung on a flagpole, waving in the wind.  
Gruesome and bloody, limp and dull.  
His fangs and claws worn as necklaces and his tail made into a fur hunting hat.  
His bones whittled out and made into beads to be worn around Children’s necks.  
Painted and bleached, made into art to be purchased and produced.  
People parading around, putting his land beneath his slaughtered feet and stomping his blood into the soil he once ran around as a happy pup.  
His history, his family, his heritage, all because his kind is “extinct”  
His territory dug up, his trees uprooted and burned for silly games.  
Humans claimed his land as their own.  
Everything went to shit when humans gained power and put monsters on a lower pedestal.

Just like dinosaurs.

He had cold sweats while he traversed in his nightmare land, running through crowds and crowds of police trying to escape and be free, even in his dreams he wasn’t safe.  
He unknowingly shredded his bed and knocked over his radio while he was sleeping, breaking it in the process.  
And knocking over (and braking) a few too many personal effects.

Whatever, it’s awake Mikey’s problem now.


	2. Rats are people too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike goes to a bar and gets more then he bargained for.

As he tossed and turned in his pile of leaves, he felt calmer, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He constantly would feel burned by his past, like a branding mark over his eyes and nose.

Forever scarred by his past and by his future.

His dreams and nightmares were the only place where he could at least shift.

Then he woke up...

He awoke in the middle of the night in a panic, the dream still fresh in his mind.

The fear ebbing but lingering in the edges of his mind.

He sat up in his bed, his muscles aching and screaming at him to lay back down.

The adrenaline he felt in his dream must have carried along out of his dream with him.

He stood up, head spinning.

He grabbed his patched coat and slammed the door behind him as his skin inched with paranoia, he bolted out of the shed and ran down the road illuminated by old yellowing street lamps.

The moon shone down on his back as he sprinted down the sidewalk, tears brimming his eyes and his leg screaming at him to stop.

The pain of hard concrete stinging his paw pads and his leg searing in fiery pain, the raw need to run far away picking away at his brain; as he ran.

He saw a group of passersby chatting and laughing away and he stopped to catch his breath. 

The group looked over at the obviously confused, distraught man on the other side of the hard black path.

“Hey man are you okay?”

A soft friendly voice called out, a purr ending the sentence. 

Must be a Leon.

“Yeah... you alright there bud?”

A reptilian fellow hollered out, the whole group was clearly concerned.

“Yeah… uhh just a midnight run is all!”

Mike said in a rushed, shaky voice.

The whole group looked like fellow theriantropics.

A reptilian, a feline, a ursus and a hyaenidae.

“Well if you insist brother!”

The group went back on their banter and walked along, as soon as they were out of view Mike bolted again.

His feet were raw and tender, the cold pavement and the hot friction of the run wearing away his thick pads.

Mike tripped on a hidden crack in the path and landed in the grass beside it, thankfully not on the hard ground.

**Fuck!**

Mike said disappointingly, his adrenaline soaring and his head throbbing.

His heart was almost beating out of his chest.

He sat there in silence while his heart slowly calmed down and he ceased to hear the blood sloshing in his ears.

What was he doing…

He sat there, in utter silence.

The wind howled in his ears, the cold filling his heart.

He heard a twig snap and his nose filled with the smell of food, rabbit.

His ears instantly alert and perked in the direction of the sound.

He twisted up on all fours in one fluid motion, he was beyond hungry.

His tail hovered close to the ground as his claws dug into the soft cool earth soothing his paws, too easy.

Out hopped a long haired, white and black patched rabbit, it’s ears droopy and it’s motions slow in the clearing nearby.

A lop bunny.

It must have escaped its owners, this clearly wasn’t a wild or feral bunny.

Mike slowly crept closer, the moss pillowing his footsteps and the long grass silencing his breaths and camouflaging him.

He was downwind of the fat, oblivious rabbit nibbling on the lush wet grass.

The animal was in a clearing and Mike was only a mere three feet away, just crowning out of the thicket of towering grass.

The rabbit stepped closer to the street lamp and turned its back to Mike, perfect shot.

He slowed his breathing and his heart rate as he calculated his plan of attack.

He was very sharp and intelligent.

He calculated his trajectory, he focused on the earth beneath his feet.

He felt the ground, he sunk his claws into the rocks and grass, judging the needed stiffness of his jump in his legs.

His feet were perfectly designed for jumping and treading, he was lucky.

His bones linked into place with natural beauty and grace, a deadly hunter.

The sinew connecting his arms and joints together was flexible and strong.

He’s had the most delicate, dangerous precision.

In a split second he leapt from the tall grass thankfully not making a sound and with teeth bared, tail guiding him through the air, landed square on the large rodent. 

His claws sinking into its soft fur, it started squealing in distress but Mike swiftly grabbed it by the scruff and with a quick bite, its neck broke and went limp. 

A quick death, a peaceful one.

Mike relaxed as he felt it go limp and saw the life in its eyes fade and go dull thanks to the street lamp.

He hadn’t had an easy kill like this for a while, usually animals put up more of a fight then this.

Then again, it was a fat, pampered bunny and not an alley cat or a deer.

Probably some kid's pet he thought, a twinge of sadness piercing his heart, it needed to be done.

He pulled a bundle of cord out of his pocket and tied it around the rabbit and slung in behind his back as he searched for some firewood. 

After building a small fire and spit roasting his catch, he was lethargic and tired from running so far and then catching food.

He put out the fire and huddled up behind a billboard, his tail covering his feet and part of his face as he yawned and licked his chops of the remaining remnants of rabbit.

He fell asleep soon after and had a warm dream about hunting in a forest and providing food for his future family. 

A comforting blanket to mask the reality of his broken world. 

He awoke to a sharp piercing pain in his neck and a looming shadow staring down above him. 

He tried getting up but he physically couldn’t move a muscle, his vision hazed and he could only make out a pair of bright red lights on what he suspected was a car and dim headlights.

He felt strong, warm arms shake him a bit and then pick him up and begin to carry him.

It was a car.

He was laid back and strapped in with a seat belt and had a blanket placed over his shivering body; as the door closed and heard an engine roar to life.

He heard a strangely soothing voice speak to him in calm, caring tones.

“Good boy” “puppy”

He started fading in and out of drugged consciousness, he leaned over to the drive side and found the same warm arms there.

His abductor was driving and paid little to no mind when Mike slumped over and started cuddling the man's arm and scenting him while he was loopy from the dart.

He felt strangely safe and protected.

He passed out and awoke to warm water running down his bare back and arms.

He passed out again.

The last time he awoke, he was less loopy and felt everything that was going on around him.

He felt soft clothing fall down his bare back and legs and felt warm, protecting arms wrap around him; a sweet and calming smell filled his senses and lulled him back to sleep.

The next day he woke up to see he was in his shed again and his leg had healed, which must have meant that was just a really good dream. 

(Sadly)

Thankfully he smelled fresh and had a full belly, probably from his deranged, fear induced run last night.

He pulled his blanket off and saw he had fluffy warm socks on, huh he never remembered finding those.

He slipped his shoes on and went to the underground to see if there was anything he could have fun doing there. 

The rain pelted down around him, making a soothing melody of white noise amidst the cold.

He brought 100 gold with him which he stole from that creep at the store the other day and decided he needed a drink. 

He saw a nice bright pink neon sign that read  **Utopia** , hanging on the building, seems fun.

It was dark and almost armoured looking on the outside.

Barred dark stained windows and bricked walls, graffiti peaking through the shadows beautifully on the side and amazing murals on the front. 

The bar was oddly comfortable and turned out it was a gay bar, Mike himself was gay and had never been to one before, seeing one in person was amazing. 

It was larger than life with an artistic setting but still rough and dark looking. 

He went to the bartender and asked for some rum and coke and was surprised even then to be served without being judged for having his tail out and fangs, noticeable. 

The bartender was a towering silver looking wendigo, the name tag reading Fang with they/she pronouns scribbled on the side of it. 

They had weirdly deadly looking feminine and androgynous features, striking a look at the end of the bar.

There were monsters from every walk off life there, it baffled Mike and hit him in his core.

He smelled vampires, satyrs, dragons, other beast monsters and even humans.

He pulled his hood back to have his ears show, nobody batted an eye.

Though he did feel a pair of eyes laying upon him, he didn’t know where or who it was but he knew someone was.

He just revealed his identity to a bar packed full of different monsters and even humans! 

He felt anxious and safe at the same time. 

He was safe here, that he knew, but he still felt  _ off _ .

He felt someone intently staring as his neck, either that or his ears. 

His hands flexed reflexively, his paranoia was starting to agitate him too much for his own comfort.

He searched around the bar to see if any eyes were on him and didn’t spot any. 

He saw a part of the wooden wall that’s empty, completely bare. 

The feelings he was getting were coming from there.

He slowly walked across the bar to the small spot and noticed a lounge chair close by and that the wall looked barren, nothing was staring at him.

Well then.

He was served his drink and he led himself away back to that same lounge chair and slowly sipped his drink, he could get used to this.

He had had a couple more drinks when an elvish announcer came on the stage and introduced himself as Alec and said it was masquerade night at the bar. 

Oh god. 

He walked over to a chest that had mask images on it and opened it to find it was full.

He first pulled a mask out and found it was a wolf mask, of course.

He tossed the cheesy mask behind his head, someone shouted to watch it but he paid them no mind.

He plucked a black feathered half mask out and tied it around his head, better then nothing.

He got near the dance floor but stayed in the corner of it as he sipped his drink, he was starting to get comfortable here.

He saw couples dancing together, monsters and humans dancing together and exchanging hugs and kisses and soft words to each other.

It made him feel sort of alone and sad, he was alone in his harsh, hostile world.

He knew he didn’t deserve love or kindness, at least in the eyes of society, but he still craved affection and kindness from another.

The thoughts started seeping into his brain, making him want to go home even though he’d only been there for an hour.

He was bored and utterly alone.

He made his way to the exit when a masked stranger tapped him on the shoulder, “may I have this dance sir..?” He asked with a soft voice, extending his hand with a slight bow.

Time froze in that moment, someone was interested in showing him the time of day.

Mike graciously took his hand and quickly lost his drink by how fast the stranger twirled him.

The masked admirer held his hand comfortingly and gently though strongly. 

The man gave him a toothy grin and admiring, warm eyes.

He felt like royalty in that split moment, important and desirable.

He was captivated by the stranger and felt something familiar about how the voice sounded and how it reverberated in his ears.

He pressed up against the man and danced with him, getting a faster pace as the two danced along to the songs in the bar.

Song after song, dancing together in harmony.

The man brushed his hand against Mike's side and it got a whimper out of him, ever so quietly.

“Oh?” 

The masked stranger said in a smug accusing tone.

“Oh umm I’m sorry haha”

he awkwardly laughed it off, yelling at his feelings to stay buried.

“You’re fine darling~”

the masked stranger sounded sweet and genuine.

The stranger subtly got just a couple hairs closer and leaned his head a bit more towards Mike's face.

He looked deeply into the werewolves bright silver eyes, his mouth slightly open in awe and shock at the kind words.

“I- uhh- gonna go get another drink!”

He said with a tremble in his voice and a giddy smile.

“One bloody killing please!”

Mike hollered to the bartender, the wendigo fixing his drink slowly and with a hint of edging, as if knowing the wolves thoughts. 

He felt the mystical man's presence behind him and turned to see him smiling down at him, his eyes not betraying any emotion except happiness.

“Oh hello again! Like I said just getting another drink!”

Mike was being completely honest but for some reason he wanted to prove it.

“I know dear, I knew you were telling me the truth”

_ Telling _ **_me_ ** _ the truth _ **_._ **

Not just “telling the truth”.

The thought man had made it about them and not him made something stir in his gut and feel bubbly.

“Bloody killing up!”

The Fang hollered, a smaller female wendigo came out from behind a door beside the bar and kissed the dramatically taller monster on the hand and hugged them. 

That was adorable.

“Darling your shifts almost up! C'mon! Join me back home soon?”

“Yes Angel, my dear, I’ll be home soon~”

The couple receded into the back again.

Mike got pulled out of his trance by the bartender and her partner leaving and meekly reached for the drink and downed it quickly, for a full glass of alcohol he sure did it fast.

“So what brings you down here little wolf? Wanted to meet some new friends or? Maybe something else?”

The question came out of nowhere and it took Mike aback, why was he here? 

To see new sights? To meet a friend?

He didn’t know.

“I uhh actually just got some cash and decided to enjoy myself, I’m not a big people person. Ya know, humans at least”

He ended the sentence with a bit of an exhausted huff and a sigh of disappointment, humans made everything harder.

He hated being secluded and hiding away from the rest of the world.

Mike's face twisted in sadness.

“So you’re more of a lone wolf then hey? I am too, I get it”

The man's tone took a turn he didn’t think was possible, almost sounding ashamed of what he was admitting to the younger man.

  * This man is probably hiding his true self behind that tough exterior Mike thought.



“Yeah I've kinda only been able to rely on myself and fend for myself too.  _ Even as a child”  _

He whispered the last part to himself but the stranger caught it.

“Why pretty boy? Did you not have the best family growing up?”

“Yeah but I was born into an all human famil-

“A WEREWOLF BORN INTO A HUMAN FA-

He hushed himself quickly so as to not draw attention to him and his companion.

“sorry, you were born into a mortal human family? Were any of your siblings monsters?”

He asked with curiosity.

“No I was the only monster, and a werewolf at that…”

He buried his head in his hands and shook his head, why was he telling his story to a stranger?

“Well I guess you really are a lone wolf then huh?

A strong one though and I respect that”

The man had a pleased smile on his face, he had fangs just barely showing and it told Mike exactly what the man was.

Why did he want to talk more and tell his man his whole life story? 

He extended his hand in a kind gesture and Mike took it and was pulled back to the dance floor in one swift motion.

“Ready to dance wolfie?”

The question made him blush and cover his face with his hand, his sleeve pulled up to his palms to cover himself up more.

“Is someone a little shy?”

The vamp asked with a smirk.

“Uhh no I’m not really shy it’s just kinda… cold… yeah cold”

“Need something to warm you up then little pup?”

The man asked in a devious way, was he flirting?

“Uhh maybe, d-depends what it is?”

Mike said, hiding his face in the unlit spots on the dance floor.

“May I show you?”

“Sure”

In a heartbeat his world slowed as the stranger pulled his mask up a tad and kissed him, softly but dominantly and hungrily.

His head fell prey to emotion and he kissed the man back, he was definitely flirting now.

The stranger started to get closer to him and then curled his palm under his ear, his body twitched and felt enchanted.

He didn’t notice he was slowly moving backwards until he felt the wall against his back, cold oak wood, the same wall he felt eyes coming from.

He felt as if he was floating on air, rising closer and closer to the ceiling.

The temperature was stark against the warm body infront of him and made him shiver, yeesh he needs new clothes.

The man, still kissing him, started to get a bit deeper in his mouth.

Earning him a nip on it from Mike, he didn’t like stuff going too fast so he teasingly bit the vampire's tongue just hard enough for it to bleed.

He saw the man's eyes had changed, he must have felt challenged by the bite and looked like he was in it to win it and started kissing Mike again.

He put one of his hands against the wall right above the werewolf’s head and one hovering close to his neck, painfully close.

He started to stroke the wolves neck in a rhyme, in time with his kisses.

Mike had never been shown this much gentle yet arousing attention from another person, it was weird and yet felt so right to him.

“Warm enough, yet, little pup?”

The stranger asked him with a grunt, not taking his lips off of his to speak clearly.

“No….” Mike shuddered and leaned against the wall, he was getting into trouble here and he knew it.

The older man knelt down a bit to breath on Mike’s exposed chest, the feeling giving him chills.

He started to get closer and closer to his neck until he licked it and started nibbling carefully on the side of his neck, close to his trapezius bond.

He let out shudders and slight gasps every time the man breathed on him and set his nerves alight.

He felt teeth grazing over his neck and felt double points of fangs teasing his skin, licking up and down the length of his neck.

“May I…?” 

The man asked softly, he knew he had won over the werewolf.

“Ummm…. I’ve never...H-had someone do this… but… I trust you”

He didn’t know why he trusted this man, maybe just the thrill of it was what he was after.

Who knew!

He knew he had answered correctly in his favour.

He felt the pressure at the two points slowly start to be tighter and tighter, moving around to other spots until they found the perfect spot to bite down on.

He felt a split of pain and then an overwhelming urge to hold onto the man biting down on his neck.

“I-“ 

Mike started with a gasp as he reached and held onto the other man's coat, he was so light headed already.

Felt fire through his veins but in an exciting, overwhelming way.

The vampire held lightly to the man's side and his neck to get a good grip.

The hold on his neck getting tighter as time went along, his fingers were soft and warm around his throat.

“I’m getting l-light headed a bit….”

He started slurring his words, his breath hitching slightly.

The man appeared as though he didn’t hear it or cared but he stopped and started licking the wound he made, dark marks around the younger man's neck was evidence enough beside the large fang holes in him.

Now people would know something was up.

Mike started to get dizzy and needed to sit down, he tugged at the mans shirt to let him on a chair and he picked the werewolf up and carried him to a lounge chair sitting in the dark shielded from the bright lights. 

He put his jacket over Mike’s head and held it up to shield his eyes from the bright lights.

“Th-thank you. I’m sorry I’m kinda weak when I have alcohol in my system. Also losing blood doesn’t help” he giggled softly.

“No dear I know, would you like to get something to eat? Maybe at a fast food place perhaps? Or just maybe some coffee?”

“Yeah that… that’d be great… I’m Mike by the way”

“Gio”

“Awsome, cafe then!”

He could go for a shit ton of caffeine right now…

He followed the man to his car, a nice small white car.

A nice, warm dark humid evening, the moist air soaking Mike’s nose as he held his head out the window carelessly, Gio watched intently and happily as Mike lolled his tongue out and giggled as his face was gently swatted with a bush branch.

Mike started laughing as he pulled his head back into the car, Gio turned the radio up and the two started singing along to the song that blasted out of the stereo. 

The sounds vibrations radiating in both the men’s hearts as they bellowed out their voice to the song, smiles wide on both of their faces.

The music rising in their guts, making them both yowl out the lyrics in harmony and Mike being a little bit sloppily because of the alcohol.

They went to a cafe a little drive away, Mike got a coffee with a double espresso shot in it and the other man just drank some tea.

They both sat down in the stark black wooden and metal chairs.

His energy levels rose as he sipped the warming drink, the taste was wonderful.

They sat across from each other on the table, the dark satin table cloth shimmering in the moonlight of the cafe window.

Gio lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke out one of the nearby barred windows.

“So uhh can I maybe have your full name? I mean I don’t have any friends so I’d love to even just have an acquaintance!” Mike said with an excited voice, hints of anticipation escaping his mouth.

“Gioele Caruso, it’s an Italian name. Vampires like weird names and I’m no exception. But you can call just me Gio, I only let friends call me that. Not that I have many interesting friends.”

Gio ended the sentence with an awkward laugh, he obviously was opening up a bit and didn't completely like it.

“Oh that’s a cool name….! Haha the names Michael, Michael Werner, but I usually only get called mike… it’s a boring name, ha! My middle name is literally Grey. I had a nickname when I still had a couple friends and that was Mikey, you can call me that.”

Mike said with a shy loving tone.

Mikey and Gio, it sounds like a weird duel circus act.

“So do you find lonely strangers and suck their blood often? Haha just a joke! just a joke!” 

Mike said with a giddy smile.

“No actually, I just went to Utopia to have some fun, maybe make a new friend but seems I found more than that now wouldn’t you agree, Mikey?”

He said with a teasing tone.

“Uhh yeah perhaps, like I said I never had any friends so I’m really awkward, sorry about that”

The confession sounded more sad then he expected.

Gio sipped his tea with a leisure filled, teasing smirk and watched as two monsters strolled into the shop, a skeleton and a Leon, the pair looking like night and day and it brought a smile to Mikey’s face, cute.

“So, how's it like being a vampire? It must be 100x better than being a mutty low blood like me.”

“Not really, I’m actually a nurse and of course vampire nurses are seen as both a miracle and a curse because we can find out what’s wrong with someone sometimes just by drinking some of their blood. People constantly also will refuse being treated by a vamp nurse because people think we will always put them in a thrall or make them a blood servant. But we can most often know what’s wrong, like you, you’re malnourished and are anemic. They can also tell other things like a person's bond status, blood type, monster type and if they have anything in their system, among other things.

Alcohol, drugs and even some types of addictive foods.

Like for you, I know you love pizza, fish, red meat, chocolate and sweets. You have a tolerance for sour foods and don’t like spicy foods. You also have a small nicotine problem you need to fix, but I could just tell when I lit my cigarette and you kept staring at it. You are an unbonded male omega werewolf, but your blood type is interesting because of your anemia condition.

You have quite a large amount of alcohol in your system as well.”

“Y-you got all that from sucking on my neck for a couple seconds? Th-that’s amazing haha and kinda almost like i don’t know how to put it… perverted?”

Mike said with a conflicted voice.

“Yes maybe, but it also begs the question, how are you living? Do you have an eating disorder? Why are you malnourished?” 

Gio said curiously.

“Just a picky eater!” 

Mike blurted out in a hurry.

That’s a lie, he’ll eat anything he can get, even resorting to a stray cat every once in a while.

“Oh? So what foods do you not like?” Gio said with an accusing tone.

“Brussels sprouts, spicy shit and cooked bell peppers”

“Huh so not very much then ah?”

“I guess…”

“So then why are you lying? Something you don’t want me knowing wolfie?”

“N-no I’m fine!” Mike said with a hurried voice.

His eyes flashed with red.

He felt his body and mouth moving without wanting it to, a vampire thrall.

His mind went slightly hazy and soft.

“Mikey, why are you lying to me~?”

The vampire said with a soft, seductive tone, trying to pry the information out of the taller man.

His eyes glowing electric blue, energy sparking and crackling in his eyes.

There was no sound but Mike saw the crackling In Gios eyes and he started hearing energy crackling and popping.

Gios eyes looked partly sad as he asked the question.

*because I don’t want to be pitied*

“Why puppy? Why would I pity you?”

No no no!!!

Nobody can escape a vampire's thrall usually, only demons and sometimes a vampire's mate.

*because I don’t have a home*

“Oh?”

*I couldn’t possibly get a house as I am so I live in an old shed just outside the city*

“Oh poor puppy! How about this, do you wanna come with me?” Gio said in a soft spoken voice, caring.

The thrall wore off.

“I…. maybe?....I… I don’t know…”

His face hurting from keeping a smile on his face the whole time.

“I… I’m just used to living alone my entire life… I’ve only had a real home when I was a puppy… I left my family when I was only about 11… it hurt when I left but I felt like I was protecting my family when I did it. That’s the reason I’ve never wanted to get close to people. So that’s why I’d probably never be able to… just a stable boy in the kingdom I guess” 

Mike finished his sentence with a shy laugh, his face very awkward and nervous, almost scared.

“Hey hey hey! Don’t worry! I get it! I have uhh about 23 siblings… I never was close to them so they’re just labels for strangers. I guess you could say they are “spicy strangers”! My mother was my closest friend until I was around high school… my dad is really old fashioned and a lot older than the average dad. Even though I had so many, I felt like an only child. I guess we’re kinda similar in that respect, don’t you think wolfie?”

Gio said with a soft, affectionate smile.

“Yeah I guess that’s true, so uhh sorry for asking but, where do you live?”

Mike asked with a question in his voice, almost too curious.

“Ahhh…. promise to not laugh at me?”

“Promise! Duh!”

“I moved out of my family’s estate and into an apartment. I had to get away from my family for a bit, needed space to find myself and not the guy my family wanted… I used to play sports before I was a nurse, I tore a ligament in my leg and was anxious to play again and repeat that so, because I’m lazy, I chose the one subject that had the shortest study period and the least homework… aka nursing!”

Mike looked at Gio in an accusing, judging smirk. 

“Yeah, “lazy” you don’t look lazy man! You’re uhh like… really hot so… yeah you’re, like not lazy!”

Mike said joyfully, almost guiltily.

Gio smiled softly and giggled in his hand, cute Mike thought.

“Well like I said, I’d love to have you sleep over once in a while, play games etc. Like I said I don’t have that many close friends either! If you don’t want to stay, you can just hang out once in a while, I can take you out for lunch tomorrow if you’re free!”

Mike stood up, he flexed his claws out and looked over them, a prude smirk plastered on his face while looking at Gio.

“If I’m free, hmmm nah I’m not free sorry, (Gio looked disappointed for a split second) I have to give my servants orders, check on my parakeet, water my Egyptian fern, get my Persian horse groomed… blah blah blah blah blah! Yes of course I’m free! Do I look like I have a social life?” 

Mike said with a twirl and a swish of his tail, he fluttered his eyelashes proudly, his pupils growing large while looking in Gio’s eyes as he bit his lip.

“Oh c'mon! At Least I’m courteous~ c'mon gimme some slack here Mikey!”

Gio laughed as he got up and gently squeezed Mike’s wrist, bad move.

**YIPE!**

Gio jumped back into seat, clearly concerned and confused.

Mike went back to his chair, slowly getting engulfed by embarrassment and the shadow of the cafe.

“S-sorry, my wrists are sensitive… PTSD… sorry… I get it if it’s weird I know other P-PEople don’t like b-broken mOnSTers like M-

Gio interrupts Mikey as he hears his voice cracking and spiking with pain. 

“Hey! For one, that’s fine! Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. Second, why would that be weird? I have… uhh… issues with knives…”

Gio said nervously, his laugh was scared as he finished.

“Do...do you wanna tell me why?”

“Haha… long story…”

“I’ve got nothing to do, just saying”

Mike said enthusiastically, sympathetically, kind of like a gab at himself and his lack of time consuming activities.

His face still laced with pain.

“I got stabbed when I was younger”

“I...I’m so sorry I didn’t mean-

“No no it’s fine! Hey no it’s fine! I was a teenager, before my leg injury and I caught my girlfriend cheating on me, I called her out on it and her skid stabbed me twice in the chest…” 

His eyes glancing towards his stomach, looking worried.

“C-can I have a look?” 

Mike asked, his eyes wide in awe.

“I guess there’s no point in hiding a couple stupid scars”

Gio pulled the corner of his shirt up to show a large, thin, jagged pink scar coming from his pants waistband going up his stomach and one under his rib cage.

Mike's eyes filled with sorrow and empathy at the sight of the man, he was obviously insecure about his battle wound. 

Mike found it fascinating and amazing that the man across from him was that strong.

His eyes softened and he gently got up from his chair and gave Gio a warm hug.

He pulled his chair up next to him, to be more personal.

He put his hand on his scar while he hugged Gio, as warmly and gently as he could. 

“That’s… horrible… I’m so sorry that happened to you… nobody deserves that”

“Yeah well… it did hurt a lot, but at least I punched the guy in the jaw and broke it in the process… haha he passed out on the lawn and I just simply walked to the hospital”

“While bleeding out!? Are you nuts!?”

“Yeah, nobody stopped to help me but that’s fine, ima tough cookie I guess you could say!”

Mike looked so confused and offended at the words.

“Wow you’re tougher then you look, that’s for sure! I could never, I’d probably bleed out there” 

He said in a condescending voice, he face palmed himself and started giggling, Gio slowly joined in. 

They both then started laughing hysterically, the pair looking like old friends while they giggled and smiled wide.

Their bellowing laughs made their mouths open, making both men’s fangs flash in the moonlight, their eyes glinting and looking like pairs of tiny moons.

The two toms must have scared the other patrons with their oral daggers because a waitress asked the pair to calm down, obviously very politely as she noticed the pair were having a moment. 

They both giggled quietly over the table, they’re hands covering their mouths as they whispered stupid childhood stories and accidents they had when they were young. 

The two finished their drinks and moved to the bar stools sitting by the windows facing outside into the street, the street lights casting beautiful shadows on passersby. 

Their eyes glowing behind the dark Smokey glass, strangers casting glances at them while strolling through the streets.

“Watch this”

Gio said with a smirk

Mike followed Gio’s gaze to see a group of people emerging from the shadows of an alleyway.

Mike heard a wizz, almost a hissing sound and Gio was gone, he felt panicked but kept watching the group obediently.

Out walked a gang of douchey looking werecats grogging along the pavement, suddenly one of them gets spooked as a large dark dusty brown bat flies over him, his friends skatter and hiss as the bat lands on the leading cats head.

The feline froze as the bat leaned down over his face and lightly flapped his wings, he bolted after his friends.

**Fwoosh!**

Gio appeared back beside Mike, with a small puff of what looked like dark saturated indigo smoke and some sparks.

“Whoa! That was you? You can turn into a bat! That’s amazing!!!”

Mike said with intense curiosity, his eyes filled with immense admiration and childish awe at Gio’s tiny feat of scaring a member of the jacked kitties.

“How do you do that!? That’s amazing!!!”

Mike asked excitedly, he was stunned by a simple trick!

Gio noticed.

“I don’t know, I’ve always been able to turn into a bat since I was a child. That’s not the only thing I can turn into though, wanna see more?”

“YES!!”

Mike was filled with excitement at the offer.

“Okay okay okay but… calm down! You have to promise me you won’t freak out when I do okay?”

“Yeah yeah I promise!”

“Okay, follow me”

Gio extended his hand and Mike watched in slow motion as it unfurled in front of him, again the soft romantic gestures were almost overwhelming to him.

He quickly grabbed the hand and shook it strongly as if to prove he was up for it, his eyes filled with excitement and admiration for the older man standing adjacent to him.

As the two left, Gio left a tip and smiled at the waitress, the lady bowed her head in response.

As Mike got out of the door, he looked back to see Gio’s head was turned, his gaze on the waitress. 

He felt a pang of jealousy stab his heart as his paranoia weeded into his brain, his mouth reflexively bared his fangs aggressively at the whole altercation. 

He hung his head and scuffed at the ground with his foot paws as he waited for Gio to follow suit and join him outside.

He took a deep breath and let the cold air fill his lungs till he couldn’t possibly take any more oxygen in his chest.

It felt like an hour when it was only a minute as Mike stood there like a stone statue, not moving or showing any emotion.

It started to scare him, how long it was taking Gio to join him, as he looked back in the store he noticed He was nowhere to be seen.

He huffed, his mind felt numb and his eyes started to water as the cold air stung his face.

He knew it, he knew he couldn’t trust people…

He pulled his hood off and his cheeks felt like they were being stabbed with ice needles.

His head throbbed and his eyes pricked with pain.

He didn’t want to believe it but again he was left alone, he thought maybe this time it was different but no.

A small ginger patched coloured rat walked up to him, his eyes filling with tears and one dropped on the rat causing it to jump and scurry.

“My gods… why can’t just one person like me? I thought everything was going great! And then he lost interest… just my luck…”

the rat reappeared and sniffed Mikes ankle, it then scurried up his pant leg and crawled into Mikes open hands.

Weird fucking rat but okay.

The rat snuggled up into his hands and he pulled them closer to his chest, Welp guess I got a rat now.

He started walking back towards home, constantly checking behind him for multiple reasons, maybe he wasn’t left, maybe he’d still get jumped… who knew.

The rat jumped out of his hands and scampered up Mike's hoodie and nestled into his shirt collar, the rat bringing a touch of warmth to Mike's neck.

Right beside the bite mark too…

He finally got out of the underground and pulled his hood up completely, the small trek through the field and his shed was windy and cold, no sheltering buildings.

He opened his door and slammed it behind him, the rat letting out a frightened squeak.

He huffed and heaved his tired bones over to his shredded bed and dropped with a soft  _ Oof. _

The rat waddled down and looked around the small shed, sniffing and jumping on stuff, inspecting the structure.

Mike paid no mind to the strange rodent, he just laid there, melancholy rolling off him in waves.

He lit a small fire and just stared at it, aware of the damage it could do but he just laid there, his hand haphazardly strewn out close to the fire pit.

His tail was wet and cold, he put it close to the fire to dry and it slowly started warming up and steaming.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, the rat came back, pulling a small picture frame with it.

It’s tiny fuzzy body tugging the frame and pulling it into view. 

“Whatcha got there buddy?”

Mike asked with a hushed giggle, this rat was really cute.

The rat then put his paw on the photo and dusted it off, is this an animagi? 

The photo was one of Mike as a kid, half shifted and with his long tail flowing in the wind as he ran towards the picture taker.

His hands half grey and with long dark brown and white claws extending into the ground, bits of grass and moss flying up from behind him.

His back leg muscles tensed as his front paws reached into the air to grab an imaginary rabbit, his claws looking like tiny dull karambits, shining in the warm spring sunlight.

His body straining as he leapt at the camera, he was lunging right at it.

His mouth wide open with his canines glinting, his tongue long and lolled out beside his cheek.

His eyes darker, his hair shorter and more coarse.

Mike started tearing up at the photo, it was when he was still able to shift.

The rat started to squeak and Mike accidentally, flicked the rat to the other side of the shed.

It hit the wall with a pained squeak.

The rat looked at Mike and and started cleaning himself off, it ran over to Mike and nipped him on the finger.

“Ouch what the fuck!? What’s your problem little guy?”

The rat tilted his head and started cleaning his face again then he turned tail and ran into the shadows.

“For fuck sakes… I can’t even keep a rat around”

He heard a grunt in the shadow and pulled his blanket up over his face, dropping the photo, what in the nine circles was over there?

A large shadow started growing larger and larger as Mike stared at the dark corner, a pair of icy blue eyes appeared and started shining intently towards Mike.

Painfully intently.

Fuck.

It must have been an animagi, an now he’s probably gonna die.

“Well dear, I must say, that hurt”

He knew that voice.

“Wait Gio!?”

“One and only, wolfie!”

Gio said with a proud laugh, he walked out of the shadows and sat across from the fire pit.

“I’m so so so sorry!!! I thought you left me alone, I didn’t realize that was you! I’m sorry…”

Mike said, hanging his head and covering his face with his long pale hands.

“Hey no it’s fine! Not many people realize vampires can shift into rats… among other animals!”

Gio said with a painful smile, Mike must have hurt him.

Gio gently shuffled over to Mike, sitting on his bed and started hugging him after putting his arm around Mike’s waist.

“Sorry not used to people shifting into things…”

He admitted.

“So, why don’t you shift into a wolf then Mikey?”

Gio said, curiosity laced his words.

He pointed to the small Polaroid and wiped off some more dust with his thumb as Mike watched intently.

“Uhh I haven’t shifted since that photo… about an hour after that I was almost caught.

I accidentally shifted in front of someone and they called the cops on me, I barely escaped. I had to hide out in a dumpster and under a ridge in the forest for a week before they gave up searching for me. When I came home… I told my parents what happened and they said I wasn’t allowed outside my house ever again. I could never stay cooped up in a small house for the rest of my miserable life, so.. That night I wrote a note and left, I haven’t seen them since.

That Polaroid was the last photo I ever had taken of me.”

Mike started crying and sniffling at the memory of his childhood, Gio’s warm body next to him coaxing him into his touch.

Gio wrapped his arm around Mike's shoulder, more than just a comforting gesture.

“Why don’t you try shifting now though? Are you scared to shift?”

Gio said with a comforting squeeze of Mike’s hand.

“After hearing all the horror stories of werewolf’s shifting, I’m afraid if I do shift… I’ll lose control… I’m scared if I do, I’ll lose my freedom. I’ll be caught. I’ll be killed.”

Gio looked scared at the last comment.

“Do you… wanna try shifting? I could help you if you got out of control!”

Gio said confidently.

“But what if like… I hurt you?”

Mike said apprehensively.

“Me? Gah no way! And hey if you do, it’s fine! I heal quickly you know? Vampire and everything.”

Gio said with a proud giggle, puffing his chest out.

“I… I guess there’s no harm in trying… but I wouldn’t be able to do it.. here at least... too many people… c-can we like… drive somewhere? Like maybe a forest?”

Mike said softly, his eyes growing wide and dark looking at Gio with uncertainty flanking his face.

He wrung his hands together and his leg started bouncing.

“I see no reason why we couldn’t!”

Gio said happily.

Mike’s face turned unsure and scared in a split second, he didn’t think he’d get this far.

“Hey hey hey! It’s okay! We’ll take it super slow until you get the hang of it”

Gio stated.

His face pouring sympathy and encouragement into Mike’s eyes.

“Uhh, yeah… I think that’d be cool”

Mike said with hesitation in his eyes.

“Then it’s a go! Take what you need and I’ll meet you outside in five okay?”

Mike nodded and smiled.

He took the Polaroid of him as a kid, he took his fluffy socks and put it all in a pouch along with a can of dog food and some other small trinkets.

Might as well be prepared.

He opened his door to see the same white car in front of the condemned house, Gio was leaning on the front while smoking a cigarette and checking his cell phone.

Mike was hesitant, his legs not wanting to carry him down the overgrown lawn.

He slowly started walking toward, his face slowly turned into excitement.

He got halfway across the lawn when he stopped.

The hair on the back of his neck bristled, he had a bad feeling.

His hackles raised as he caught the stench of hard alcohol coming from behind him.

Gio must have heard him walking and turned and upon seeing him, his face flipped into defensive anger.

He froze, was Gio looking at him or something behind him?

He locked eyes with him and Gio mouthed a word he didn’t get the first time, he bugged his eyes out and raised his eyebrows questioningly as if asking to repeat. 

Gio closed his eyes and opened them with a pleading look radiating from them.

He mouthed the word and Mike’s mood spiked.

**Run.**

His feet felt like they were cemented into the ground, his claws slowly flexing as he realized what was going on. 

Before he could bolt he knew it was too late, he was too slow.

A rough, sloppy hand grabbed his tail and his nostrils were filled with the gross stench of beer.

“Why hello pretty kitty~ you left me the other day and my mind has been racing trying to find you.

You took something from me, such a bad girl. Such a waste too, you’re so pretty. Too pretty to bad a thief”

The werejerk.

His tail got another rough tug and felt stiff hands grab the back of his neck. 

Gio bristled at the attention Mike was getting, he put a finger to his lips as Mike stared at him with reassuring eyes.

“So, where did you run off to ahh? Had an itch to scratch? Needed a nice thrill? Well I thought I’d show you a good time as you obviously need it!”

Mike was shuddering, he yelped as he was swatted on his back pant pocket with a smirk coming from his assaulter.

“Hey! I’d appreciate it if you’d leave my boyfriend alone and get your dirty mitts off of his ass. He chooses who touches him and I didn’t hear any okay on his end.”

Gio hollered from behind his car, his back turned toward Mike and the pervert.

“I’m sorry, who are you? I don’t see a sign saying “taken” and what do you mean “boyfriend” ? She’s a girl, why would she need omega suppressants?”

“Because HE isn’t a werecat you blubbering buffoon. He is my boyfriend and If you look at his neck, you’ll see my mark is embedded deep in his skin.”

The perv looked at Mike’s neck quickly, Gio saw the blood draw from his face.

“I-I-I didn’t know, I thought sh- HE was a werecat and didn’t know he was your b-boyfriend apology’s my lord!!”

Gio leaned off the car and walked around to the front door of the car.

“Yeah, you see, I’ve been watching you. I know what you did and I’m not going to let you off the hook that easily. I don’t like having perverts walking the streets, drunk and slapping my boyfriend squarely on HIS butt.”

The jerk let go of Mike’s tail and he bolted to Gio’s side, snuggling up against him and shivering. 

Gio planted a soft kiss to Mike’s forehead and opened the passenger door to the car motioning for him to step in and gave Mike his coat, his t-shirt revealed his muscles hidden underneath and the cat slumped to the ground in submission. 

He knew he fucked up big time. 

Mikey rolled the window down and pulled a half smoked dart out from his pouch and lit it, Gio turned back and looked like he’d puke.

His face twisted in disgust.

“I have a pack of cigarettes in the console baby, help yourself, as always.”

This was the first time meeting him and he was already so protective of the mutt boy.

Mike’s dart dropped on the cement and he pulled one out of the carton and lit it.

He took a long haul and calmed down immediately.

“So, how would you like to apologize to my boyfriend? 

Money?

Being his servant? 

Giving him your pitiful life? 

Maybe he’d like to use you as a hunting target, you know, dogs and cats always fight but wolves and cats are worse.

He did mention he ate a couple stray cats or two in the past.”

The man's eyes shot open at the mention of wolf, he stared at Mike with shuddering breaths, he seemed more scared of Mikey then Gio now. 

The man started sniffling and what seemed like crying.

“Mikey, how would you like to try shifting, maybe right now? Perhaps you need a chew toy!”

The drunk cat finally bolted blindly but ran into the condemned house, knocking himself out.

Mike started laughing and slapping his knee.

Gio turned around, the harsh mean tone Mike had been hearing not matching the sympathetic and adoring eyes that looked back at him.

What was this night turning into?

He slowly walked back to the car, opening the driver side and slumping confidently down in his seat.

“Just so you know, I’m gonna call the cops on him and tell them about how he assaulted you back at that store the other day.”

“H-how did you know about that?”

Mike turned to Gio in confusion.

“I was there, I was getting antibiotics and saw the whole thing happen.”

Gio said with a frown.

“I witnessed what that creep did, I was disgusted. That’s why, when I saw you again at that bar, I wanted to show you how a proper gentleman would show a handsome young man like yourself what he deserves.”

Mike looked stunned, he didn’t ever think someone would ever care about him this much.

“W-why though? What’s so special about me?”

He said with a sad, flat tone.

“Well, at the start I just wanted to show you people can treat you better but then I was kinda amazed by your character and story and then, well, the questions and the banter back and forth. Don’t make me mention when you touched my scar and didn’t grimace at it like others have. I think I have, perhaps, fallen for you. I didn’t wanna say that just in case it’s not mutual but, you get what I’m saying right?”

Gio’s tone was empathetic and genuine.

His eyes pleading Mike to be true to him back.

“I… I didn’t think I was interesting, like in the slightest…”

Mike confided.

“How could you not be!? You’re hilarious and so fun to be around! You’re also a great kisser might I add~”

Gio said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Gios little tidbit he just did got a snicker out of Mike, his smile growing in fondness at his new, companion? 

“Well in that case, wanna keep over sharing?”

Mike proposed deviously, his back bending and bridged across the cars console, his tail lifted leisurely, his eyes betraying his lethargic mood.

He brushed the hair out of his eyes behind his ear, cocking his head up slightly to look at Gio with amusement.

“Uhh sure I guess! What do you wanna know about me?”

“Anything”

Mike stated, his brain was hazy and blank.

“Well, people tend to see me as stuck up or at first glance an asshole. But if people actually get to know me they soon find out I'm a young soul, I'm kind of childish sometimes despite my physical age.”

Gio said nonchalantly, his eyes softened as he looked back at Mike.

“People tend to think I’m the opposite, they think I’m weak and childish, when in actuality I’m an old soul.

Mikey said with a dry giggle.

“I’ve always wanted a pet dog or a cat, I didn’t have pets when I was younger but I’m a sucker for a cute puppy or an adorable kitten.

I’m kind of a bleeding heart when it comes to animals.”

He said with a faraway look in his eyes.

“Honestly, same though, I love animals. Whether they’re satisfying or a companion!”

Mike burst out laughing at his own joke.

“Maybe that’s why I like you so much! Hey puppy”? Gio said, his words laced with sugar.

Mike blushed and covered his face with his hands.

Even his ears were getting hot and red from the blushing. 

The pair started sharing more and more goofy quirks and attributes between the two when Mike started yawning wide, his jaw clicked and his mouth opened wide, his canines looking like tusks.

“Hey, do you still want to try shifting? I know our plan was sorta dampened by the jerk passed out outside on the lawn but we can still go to a nearby thicket and try!”

Gio said confidently.

Mike stared at Gio with uncertainty clouding his brain like a thick fog, should they?

What if he screws up and hurts someone? 

What if he hurts Gio!?

He pushed the worry to the back of his mind, he needs to sooner or later.

Gio cupped his hands around Mike’s, Mike put his forehead against Gio’s, he knew what he had to do.

  
  


“Yes. Let’s do it. But first, maybe we could watch a movie… at your place…?

“As you wish, puppy”


	3. Boiled blood and shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike has a little trouble shifting but gets a problem soon after.  
> Gio makes a sad mistake.  
> Mike gets hurt

“You know, one of my favourite childhood movies was Balto, it’s about a wolf dog. Wanna, maybe watch that?”

Gio said softly, his voice soothing Mike’s nerves.

“Really? How cheesy”

Mike said flatly, obviously tired and irritated.

“Hey c'mon! It’s kind of like you if you think about it”

Gio hummed.

“How? He’s a wolf dog not a werewolf!”

Mike growled, his anger getting the best of him and his sadness creeping along the base of his skull.

“I’m sorry… I’m just scared is all”

Gio nodded in acknowledgement.

“I just need a nap or something 

To take my mind off of it, just stressed out”

Mike huffed, disappointed in himself because of his outburst.

He thought long and hard about his anger issues, he tends to get cranky around his heats and when he’s sad sometimes.

He hadn’t had a heat cycle since he was 13 though, that was seven years ago...

The pair arrived at an apartment complex and parked the white car underground, they went up an elevator and went inside.

The entrance was small and minimal but still nice looking and cozy, a small kitchen and a short hallway.

“So this is your place?”

Mike said softly

“Yeah I know it’s not much bu-

“It’s amazing!!!”

Mike interrupted Gio quickly.

“It’s so warm in here too! You must never be cold huh?”

Mike went on a tangent, silencing any other sensations other than sight, unbeknownst to Gio. 

Mike stopped talking, he put his hand to his mouth in a slap to silence himself.

“S-sorry”

Mike said through his fingers, he turned and had rolling tears falling like rain from his shiny faded eyes.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t do anything wrong”

Gio stated confusingly.

“No I did. I went on a rant… I’m sorry it’s just a habit to keep talking and I know it can be very annoying to a lot of people. I just get excited easily sometimes and my system just kinda locks up and over reacts…”

Mike said, his hands covering his wet puffy eyes.

Gio reached for his palms instead of his wrists and pulled one carefully up to look at Mike in his eyes.

“Hey, you’re fine honey! I’m glad you’re happy and excited! Do you want some proper food then? How about pizza, anything special you want on it?”

Gio said, twisting his tone to sympathetic to cheerful in an effort to cheer Mike up, or at least stop crying. 

“Mushrooms? Sausage and mozzarella? If That's not too much…”

Mike said shyly.

“Sure baby! Anything you want sweetheart”

Gio said energetically.

The pair watched a movie later on, Mike collapsed on Gio’s bed, his head spinning and his stomach painfully full.

He never felt so full in his life.

He rolled on the large bed lazily, he felt fat yet he was skin and bone.

His thin rigged pale frame gutting through his skin as he laid peacefully on the thin blanket skirting the large bed.

He looked like a leather bag in an ivory shade filled with knives and sharps.

His silver eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

Gio lit a candle and sat on the other side of the bed after seeing Mike half asleep.

He laid on his stomach, he stared at Mikey intently, with love flooding his eyes.

The pair sunk into the bed, warmth and love emanating from the room, so sweet it would be sickening to anybody else.

“Alcohol?”

Gio inclined.

“Yeah I could go for a drink right now.”

Mike said sleepily.

xXx

Four shots later

“And so that’s why I ate those cats. They tasted gross but, it was needed”

Mike grimaced.

“I’m sorry you had to do that, it’s horrible”

Gio stated.

“Yeah buuuut, I’m here now! Hopefully no more cats!!!”

Mike’s voice spiked.

Mike flopped onto the pillows, his mood flipping immediately.

“D-do.........do you… want to cuddle?”

Mike said softly pausing in between words, his head buried in a soft fluffy pillow.

“You sure?”

Gio said softly.

“Yes……..please…”

Mike said with a slight whine.

His heart was in his hands and his brain was in his nether regions.

Gio lifted his arm and lifted his blanket to allow Mike to huddle up next to him.

The stark contrast of the two men’s body types fit together like a puzzle piece.

Mike’s long skinny limbs and Gio’s soft muscled frame molded into one big puddle of limbs and torsos as they both giggled and cuddled.

Mike mumbled something as he had his head locked in Gios neck, his soft breath puttering as he mumbled while slipping into sleep.

“What?”

Gio said softly, he traced his palm on Mikey’s cheek and cupped it adoringly.

“ ‘s fine… jus… happy… never……….fult… like... dis… before….”

Mike says in pauses and pieces, he was drooling slightly.

His lips looked puffy and flushed pale pink, his eyes were closed softly and his hands were currelled around Gio’s forearm.

His ears were dusted rosy pink, his freckles popping in the moonlight.

Gio shuffled and moved to let Mikey lay a couple inches away from him, his hands went limp and open.

Mike started sucking on his lip, his legs shivering.

Gio put his forehead to Mike’s and he got a slight, urgent whimper from the younger man's lips.

He played with his hair and just watched as Mike smiled sleepily at the affection.

Mike moved his head lazily and placed a kiss on Gios cheek ever so tenderly and loopy, almost as if he was on an anesthetic.

Like he was drunk on affection and love.

Mike kissed Gios ear, his lips hot and moist from drooling.

“Hey what are you doing puppy?”

Gio asked carefully.

Mike just kept kissing his ear and his jaw, then he started nibbling on his ear.

Gio felt a spike of warmth run through him, along with a tad of need.

No not tonight, he’s too tired and he’s drunk.

He nuzzled Mike, making him stop nibbling and put his chin on top of Mike’s head and stroked his back and his neck.

They soon fell asleep in each other’s arms.

xXx

“You’re not going to get anywhere by sitting in a tree upside down Mikey! You need to take this seriously!”

The vampire said, his shirt was torn around his sternum, his hair wet and dripping.

“Yeah well I’m never going near a fucking river ever again!”

Mike said while he choked, his blood pooling in his head.

The pair had just gotten out of a rushing river, Mike felt something touch his foot after falling in and panicked like a drowning child.

Gio had  _ tried _ to “rescue” him and tore his shirt in the process.

“I hate rivers! I hate lakes! I hate water!!!!”

Mike yowled out, his tail heavy and his ears still wet.

He started sniffling and sobbing out of embarrassment, Gio rushed to the base of the tree hastily.

“Hey no baby please don’t cry, I hate seeing you cry like this! Only happy tears okay? Please!”

Gio pleaded.

“I’m the most stupid werewolf that has ever lived! I can’t even shift! What’s a werewolf if they can’t… well…. BE A WEREWOLF!?”

Mike shouted, his voice splitting and cracking in the quiet rustling wind.

His eyes shown in the sunlight but they were filled with sadness and heartbreak over his situation.

His emotions ran too high for anybody to realize his urgency and terror.

For a werewolf to shift after not doing so for years takes either lots of training or, an emotional outburst of pure primal emotion.

For Mikey, he metaphorically put his wolf side in a box chained up.

He kept his “dark side” hidden and locked away from anybody.

As far as he could get was having his tail out and his ears slightly sharper then the average human.

Werecats and the like usually walk around full form so for him, he looked weird only using a semi lycanthropy state.

Most monsters only have one maybe two and in rare cases, three forms.

Humanoid, monster and in some cases, feral. 

Werewolves were special, along with most other lycanthropes, having humanoid, upright, animal, feral and monster and a humanoid/lycanthropy mix. 

For werewolves, they usually can’t learn to shift into all these types but Mike did, learning through his own curiosity.

He stumbled upon each type in different ways.

For upright, he had done so after seeing the movie Robin Hood, the upright walking fox.

He mimicked the fluidity and flow of the biological anatomy of Robin.

He mimicked it until he learned how to shift into that form.

Other forms were either from trauma or just dumb luck while toying with his own body.

Turning animal when he would hunt, feral when he was threatened and monster when he was enraged.

His humanoid tail being a good help in swimming and using it like a rudder, his humanoid claws being good for catching fish and helping his dad to dig holes for vegetables.

He learned all his forms from basic things other would take months to pick up or even begin to grasp.

But, because of Mike’s cunning and adaptive nature, he learned fast and experienced years of practice within his first few childhood and early preteen years.

His knowledge of his own body and how it would work was more than any doctor alive today.

Alas, nobody learned about werewolf anatomy anymore or practiced the proper medicine for them, be it that werewolves were exiled and with it people lost their curiosity in the werewolf races medical history and medicine.

Werewolves closest biological relatives are humans and werecats, but still, very different.

Even using werecats suppressants were dangerous for werewolves.

Though things that would hurt dogs or wolves wouldn’t hurt him, like chocolate. 

The fact there is no information on werewolves, he didn’t know what was good and what was bad for his body, just wivestails and myths about his health and what could kill him.

The thought killing him from the inside out.

  
  


“Hey you’ll be fine wolfie! we will get through this, together. I promise.”

Gio said, putting his forehead to Mike’s.

Mike didn’t want to come down, he wanted to stay on that tree for the rest of his life.

He could be like a monkey, he could hunt birds and squirrels in the trees.

He could collect water from leaves, build a treehouse and stalk strangers if he needed too. “Hey! Mikey! You okay?”

Gio asked.

Too much blood was drowning Mike’s brain.

“Ayo! What!?”

Mike said with a grunt.

He tried to reach for a knot on the tree but missed it and left to the ground with a sharp  **oof** .

Mike rubbed his head, Gio took his hand.

“Hey it’s going to be alright”

Gio pointed out.

“But what if I just  _ can’t  _ shift? What if I’m just not able to? Maybe I wasn’t  _ born  _ to…”

“You were Michael, you were.”

“Wait look!!”

Mike pointed to the tree line, pairs of dark gold eyes shining through the shadows of the tall pines, watching them.

Mike twitched as he caught sight of them.

Gio watched Mike intently as he stared at the forest.

His eyes flashed, a glowing silver piercing his pupils.

Gio followed Mike’s line of sight to see a group of grey and white dire wolves peeking from the trees.

The wolves howled, a bone chilling call.

It sent shivers down Gio’s spine, his arms and legs stiffened and he slowled his breath.

Mike got up and stared at the wolves with curiosity.

His heart flooded with an overwhelming urge to run, but not from something, to something.

He thought about his childhood, him running through the grass, hunting rabbits, howling in the woods.

His fur prickled with water and dew from running in the rain and wet grass in the mornings.

He was rushed back to last night, feeling safe and warm and accepted and loved by someone. 

The vampire sitting close to him was all he had now, he needed to prove he was worth spending his time, money and life on.

He would never get this chance again and he knew it. 

Even though it had only been about a day, he had fallen in love with the goofy, handsome man.

His body had felt warmth in places he didn’t think existed.

His heart felt warm, he felt alive.

He felt finally free.

The wolf in him was raging to break through, to show itself.

His ears perked, his tail raised, his claws dug into the ground reflexively.

His mouth opened to reveal large pearly fangs, his stature changed, his legs cracked.

He was shifting.

He slumped to the ground.

Mike covered his face with his hands, his fingers growing long and his claws darkening and becoming sharp and curled.

Gio put a hand on Mike’s shoulder and Mike instinctively growled, Gio backed away carefully, he wasn’t scared, just worried.

Just to give him space.

Mike lifted his head, his ears covered with silvery coarse fur, his eyes were different, they looked like daggers. 

His tail was longer, his pants wear stretched, his shoes slid off his feet. 

He was a real werewolf now.

His wolf form had taken on him.

Mike turned his head to look at Gio, his eyes were confused.

He tried to speak but his voice came out whiny and garbled.

“Wharht?”

Mike grumbled, his voice choppy and gruff.

Gio went into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his camera turned on and he handed it to Mike.

Mike’s hand was now a long, dark paw.

His claws looked like carved and stained ivory.

He fumbled with the phone and screeched as he took a gander at his appearance, he looked at Gio with pure happiness filled his eyes.

“Volf! volf!” 

Mike said happily, his paws pounding the ground in excitement.

He pounced on Gio lovingly and nuzzled him and wiggled beside him on the ground.

The wolves in the trees howled again, their call sounding through the valley.

The werewolf’s ears perked and he sat up, staring at the woods.

Mike howled back, a long blood curdling answer.

Gio giggled, his heart pounding.

“Wanna see something cool?”

Gio said excitedly.

Mike nodded energetically.

With a puff of purple smoke, a bright brown ginger wolf appeared in place of Gio, the wolf put on a dopey, slobbery smile. 

“Gio?”

Mike questioned.

The ginger wolf nodded, it’s bright blue eyes shone like the sea. 

Mike pounced on the smaller wolf again and started play fighting with him, the different coloured furs melding together in a spectacle of teeth and paws.

The pair jumped and frolicked together under the large tree, birds sang and rivers cried out, almost in victory and pride at the young werewolf.

Another cry sounded out by the wolves, they stopped.

Mike's instincts were screaming at him to run free, run wild just like them.

Mike looked at Gio with challenge in his eyes, his face telling him to catch him.

Mike dashed into the tree line, skirting bushes and dead trees.

Gio sounded behind him, a low bellowing growl.

The forest was silent, all except for the two wolves running free in it. 

Their cries of freedom and excitement spilling out of their mouths and spiking through their paws.

Their claws raking up dirt and moss, their tails leaving cuts in the fog.

Their bodies plowing through the grass and branches.

Gio started to catch up to Mike, his thundering paws sounding and echoing off the trees.

Mike’s tail wagging as he galloped along, his claws ripping the earth and scoring the path with his mark.

The adrenaline soaring through his pelt, his breath hitting Gio in the face as he ran after him.

The smell of the damp bark and fresh moss filled his senses, the sweet smell of maple and pine trailing it.

Gio could feel the energy and heat coming off of Mike’s back, he was getting ever so closer.

They were only a foot apart when Mike jumped up into the air and twisted his body, landing behind Gio.

His moves were fluid but still choppy from lack of practice.

Gio stopped in his tracks, stunned by Mike’s dirty and sharp move, he didn’t notice Mike’s sloppiness of the move.

He turned around to start chasing and he came nose to nose with Mike, the two looking like night and day.

Mike was smiling laced with a satisfied smirk, his eyes lazy and sluggish.

“So, how’s it like racing a werewolf?”

Mike huffed.

“Better than I could ever imagine, but then again, I almost had you!”

Gio argued.

“Suuuuuuure you did!”

Mike giggled, he pawed Gios nose and fell to the forest floor laughing and wiggling.

“What are you a fish out of water now?”

Teased Gio, he tapped Mike’s nose with his pink paw.

“Haha! I’ll be your fish!”

Mike said, grabbing Gios paw in his mouth and smiling.

Gio pulled his paw out of his mouth and gagged mockingly.

The two giggled and wrestled in the wet moss littering the forest floor, their claws kicking up turf and soil as they played.

The two dirtied their pelts with mud and twigs, Gio getting burrs in his floof on his forehead.

Their paws clogged with moss, their tails trailing in the dust.

The pair exhausted themselves in playing joyfully at last, their pelts caked with dried leaves and mud.

“Okay, maybe one wash in the river”

Mike chirped.

Gio giggled at the mock defeat in the other wolves voice.

The two walked to the river bank happily, dipping their toes in the fast running water.

A poof of purple electric smoke popped up from the corner of Mike’s eye and Gio, in human form, is standing beside him.

“Ready?”

Gio said energetically.

“I… I don’t think I want to shift back, just yet at least”

Mike confessed, his face betraying his awkwardness.

He was in werewolf form, humanoid but not completely canid.

“Really? Sure!”

Gio squeaked.

Mike beamed at the statement, the enthusiasm of Gios tone.

His tail betrayed his mood as it started wagging and his paws tapping the earth excitedly.

“Who’s my good boy huh!?”

Gio questioned happily.

Mike’s ears perked at the question, his head tilting to the side and his tongue lolling out of his mouth ever so slightly.

“You!!!”

The older man chirped, full of love.

Mike yowled and tackled Gio, his licked up and down his face and nuzzled the vampire close, covering him in doggy breath and slobber.

The dirt mixing with the slobber after Mike nuzzled Gios cheek into the ground.

“Hey hey hey! Calm down big boy! I still have burrs in my hair and we still need to wash off”

Gio said through the werewolf kisses.

Mike backed down, tail still wagging madly.

Mike stripped his clothes off in a heartbeat and kept into the river with an aggressive splash, spraying Gio in the process.

“Jesus Christ that’s cold! Just, give me a little bit to adjust to the temperature”

Gio said timidly.

Mike swam around in the river, his legs more powerful then in his normal form.

He looked like a furry crocodile, waiting for a gazelle to near the water edge and drag it to a murky, watery grave.

Mike lifted his head, the bottom of his jaw soaked and plastered to his skull, smooth and wet.

“Ready, yet?”

He inquired, he raised a brow.

“No… the river made me it’s bitch… I’m a bottom for the river now”

Gio said flatly.

“Cmon bottom, I’ll keep you warm. Besides, you won’t adjust till you fully submerge yourself”

Mike said, swimming close to the edge and snapping his jaw shut on Gios underwear.

He started dragging Gio into the water, small painful yipes escaped Gios mouth as his body was soaked by the cold water.

Weak words of protest leaving the vampires lips, Mike yanked him and he was up to his armpits in water.

The werewolf swam over to him and wrapped himself around him and used his wet fur to coat the other man while he climitized to the rushing rapids.

“Why did you do that? It hurts!”

Gio whined.

“What hurts?”

Mike said accusingly.

“My…..penis….it hurts it”

Gio peeped quietly.

“Oh I’m sorry, but you’re still taking a bath.”

Mike said sympathetically, he giggled a bit at the other man's wording as he put his paw onto gios forehead and pushed him a foot away and yelped, “Baka!”

xXx

The pair dried off soon after splashing the other with the cold water, swimming and lounging in the river.

“So, ready to go back?”

Gio shivered as he spoke.

“Hold on, I see something”

Gio turned to see Mike staring at the river, shimmering reflections dazzling the stream.

Fish.

Mike jumped back into the river, his tail staying barely above the water's surface. 

His tail speckled with water, only the very tip was still fluffy and dry.

Then in an instant it slipped under the water, his silvery pelt barely visible camouflaged against the smooth stones and silt.

Mike could hold his breath for a long time Gio noticed.

There was a dramatic flash of water and fur and claws and the water resettled. 

Mike surfaced a couple seconds later holding a silvery and red iridescent fish trapped in his jowls, still wiggling trying to escape but to no avail.

It was caught in a naturally skilled hunters trap, his long sharp ivory teeth like knives sinking into its soft flesh.

“Cert er fersh berb!”

Mikey mumbled through the cold slippery fish in his teeth.

Gio stood there dumbfounded and baffled by the sight he just witnessed unfold before him. 

“G-good job hun, that’s, really impressive. Like really really impressive. What kind of fish is it?”

Gio inquired, a skeptical look on his face.

“Rainbow terut”

Mike’s words still slurring around the fish.

“Rainbow trout? Nice! Wanna eat it?”

Mike nodded excitedly, the fish getting thrashed up and down.

Mike set up a spit and made a fire using only stuff from around them and lighting it with Gios cigarette lighter.

Gio was surprised at Mike’s resourcefulness.

As soon as Mike set the fish up to cook he bolted into the bush surrounding the pair and Gio heard a sharp, pained cry and rushed into the brush to see Mikey on all fours holding a limp brown rabbit in his jaws.

“More food?”

Gio slowly nodded.

The two had a whole fish and a rabbit, Gio grabbed a bottle of vodka he had secretly packed in case of a need for celebration, he poured some into a water bottle Mike cut in half. 

They cheered and enjoyed the fresh, hand caught food.

xXx

It was late noon when the pair finished eating their catch lazily. 

Mike yawned and he slumped his head slowly down onto Gios shoulder, a subtle sign of trust in the man.

Gio heard Mike’s belly gurgle and he patted his tummy softly and rubbed his back with his palm as he sat next to his. 

His soft hands soothing Mike’s full stomach, his warm belly feeling like peach fuzz.

They were both in a state of bliss from the warm, savoury food and the alcohol, along with the company.

The couple sang songs together around the small fire as the stars started painting the sky, the moon showed its face and the pair officially softly dozed by the fire.

The next morning the two awoke to birdsong in the trees and random animal chatter.

“Oh g-good morning”

Mike said, realizing he fell asleep on Gio, not knowing how to apologize to him.

“Good morning wolfie, how did you sleep?”

Gio said sweetly, his words laced with honey.

“Good… what about you? Sorry I fell asleep on you”

Mike apologized quietly.

“I quite enjoyed that actually”

He stated softly but firmly.

Mikey’s eyes lit up adoringly, he felt like he was seeing stars.

Gio could get addicted to seeing his face and those eyes every morning, maybe he just might have to see them some more he thought to himself.

The lean werewolf had silver doe eyes, his adoring gaze pouring over Gio in waves, drowning his heart in love.

His endearing eyes soaking in the young man in front of him.

“So… what do you want to do? Do you have work?”

Mike inquired, a sadness started fogging his doe eyes slightly.

“No actually, I have three weeks off of work to do, well, whatever I want”

Gio said suggestively.

Mikey’s brain stopped working, his eyes vibrated as his brain tried to process what Gio had said, his brain racing from one thought to another, some dirty some not.

The werewolf blushed and his tail wrapped around his nose, tucking his paws underneath him while he laid on the warm ground beside Gio, his nose sniffled as he hurried his head in his fur.

His long silvery fur glimmering in the sunlight, 

Gio rested his hand on Mike’s head, he stroked his ears.

The werewolf fell lazy from the affection and he licked Gios hand absentmindedly, he was trapped in a puppy like state.

His brain was all mushy and sugary from pampering and petting. 

A small knicker escaping his jaws, his tongue lolling and his tail wagging happily.

His eyes closed shut, his long legs kicking the air and wriggling in the moss.

He arched his back in pleasure as Gio scratched behind his ear.

Gio giggled at the werewolf wriggling around at his side, the wolf in pure bliss.

“So, how is my puppy feeling? He looks pretty darn happy getting pets and scratches hmmm?”

Gio spoke softly, he gave Mike a mock judging look. 

Mike snapped out of the soft, childish state and looked at Gio with guilt at his actions.

“S-sorry… I didn’t mean to go all dopey on you! Sorry sorry sorry”

Mike said as he bolted up and put his paws up in submission, his ears dropping in defeat.

“Hey! I didn’t mean it was a bad thing! I’m not disappointed in it!”

Gio giggled.

Mike sighed in relief.

His shoulders loosened and his claws flexed them happily, his head shook and he smiled wide, fangs flashing.

His yawn was wide and heavily lethargic, his jaw gaping, looking like a Tasmanian tiger.

Gios own jaw dropped at the size and the internal dimensions of Mikey’s jaw.

His canines looked like jagged rocks and his molars like tiny sharp mountains embedded in his gums.

Gio licked his own fangs unknowingly, he only has two fangs on top and only has a set of four when he gets angry.

His rage would induce his bottom fangs and his aggression.

Gio wasn’t one for using aggression or fear to get what he wanted in this world. 

  
  
  


For vampires or other high bloods, the stereotype of using their blood royalty or monster powers to get what they wanted was ingrained in lower bloods and humans and twisted people's belief in them to be monsters and preppy assholes. 

When vampires branched off from humans, they made a deal to not wipe out humans for both the races interests.

Vampires would help the sick, infected and wary in exchange for blood, something they needed to live.

Without it they would wither away and slowly degrade into dust, a husk of humans with fangs.

The two races worked intricately together for the longest time, harmonizing to bring peace between them.

But as time went on, the rich kept getting richer and vampires and humans eventually saw each other as opponents within the work space and economic fields.

Having laws against using thralls or blood pacts in the workplace to advance or sway bosses from giving undeserving employees raises or positions.

Lower vampires and turned humans taking advantage of people in urban settings, using their status as a wager over everyday things, no respect for whom they were hurting.

Their privilege lets them get away with crime and haggling among lower bloods.

Though their privilege only worked on lower bloods, not their own race. 

They had set laws among themselves, the rules stricter for lower bloods but looser on their own blood ranks.

Though royal bloods, no matter how low in a social setting among themselves, were higher than any lower blood.

Humans, vampires, elves among a small number of other races were top dogs in this world.

The lowest of the low bloods werewolves and the like. 

The exiled and the forgotten.

There was only one race exiled, the werewolves.

The rest of the original or branched races died of or were killed in wars and such.

Extinct, through either their own doing, war, land/food loss or just fate.

Orcs, unicorns and even the living dead, being zombies.

Orcs died in great ancient wars, some small populations still living in the outskirts of civilization, only an estimated 19,000 orcs were still living in the world today. 

Their species was marked extinct because of their steadily depleting body numbers.

There are only roughly 1000 unicorns still alive and only ten documented being seen in the wild in the past twenty years. 

The cause of which was habitat loss, deforestation and poaching. 

Zombies were officially wiped out centuries ago, not one rising dead or evidence reported of them since. 

The danger of them and the fact they were mindless bodies simply drifting along the world searching for a living person to eat being too big a threat for the modern world and were killed off because of danger and fear, not exiled weirdly enough.

Zombies couldn’t reproduce, they were simply husks of dead humans reanimated, brain dead and bodily dead.

Necromancy started the wave, evil witches and wizards reanimating dead corpses and sickly children on the brink of death. 

After a time, the rot and plague that fueled them spread to others, the immune compromised and the old. 

Like a virus, the plague nicknamed “rot” quickly spread like wildfire. 

Most races were immune, only humans would turn because of their basic biological makeup and lack of powers made them easy targets for the rot.

The rot eventually would take those even strong and slowly pick at the body and soul of the person, dissolving the body from the inside out.

The rot spread silently, nobody showed signs until the person collapsed from the rot and soon after turned.

Other bloods would only get sick and rarely would die from it, because of their monster blood, it would fight the infection and would only die from starvation or exhaustion.

Monsters affected would not turn, only get sick or die from malnutrition, exhaustion and so on. 

Though there were only a handful of monsters that died from it, only a couple thousand monsters died from related complications from rot.

The human toll was much much higher, estimated at about 20 million humans died from the rot. 

Half of which turned and became living dead.

About 18 million were killed off either before they turned or after.

The rest wasted away from lack of living food or were just simply too weak.

xXx

Gio felt a poke at his side, he had blanked out thinking about how the average vampire treated others.

Mike looked at him with wide eyes, his head tilted curiously.

“You okay there?”

Mike peeped.

“Ahh! Yes sorry about that, just thinking about something”

He giggled as he finished his sentence.

Gios' fangs must have been poking out because Mike put his paw up to his mouth and with his cleaned off claw raised Gios under lip to peer at his snowwhite fangs, his eyes wide in curiosity and childish awe.

“So, how do you talk with your fangs? They’re so big and sharp! You must cut yourself with them a lot eh?”

Mike inquired, still poking around in his mouth.

“Nuh”

Gio mumbled through Mike’s claws.

Mike thumbed over Gios' fang, he yelped and jumped, an ant bit his foot paw. 

He clutched his hand, licking it and scratching his foot at the same time.

“Are you okay?”

Gio panicked.

“S’ fine! Just a little cut and an insect bite s’all”

Mike said, rubbing his finger.

“Here let me”

Gio said reaching for Mike’s finger, licking it clean from the deep scarlet beads of blood flowing from the jagged cut.

Something was different about Mike’s blood this time though, it was strange.

It tasted... different.

“Hey, did you eat or take something between the time we met at the bar?”

Gio said intrusively.

“Nuh.. no, nothing but the alcohol and the food”

Mike said in complete honesty.

Gios' face twisted into confusion.

“What’s wrong? Am I sick?”

Mike said slightly panicked.

“N-no it’s just… different”

Gio huffed.

“Well I hope I’m not! I hate shots! Well any medical needles in general but shots scare me!”

Mike giggled, his face scrunching as he laughed.

Gio felt a pant of guilt at Mike’s confession.

Gio looked closely at Mikey, his senses were telling him something was up.

He brushed it off and gave Mikey a soft bumped on the shoulder.

“Well should we go back home then?”

Gio said happily, his mood switched in an instant, though internally he was still sceptical.

Mike perked up and jumped to his feet with an  **_umf_ ** .

“Aww hell yeah!”

Mike barked.

His eyes shut and his smile wide.

Gio knew something was up, though it was unbeknownst to Mike.

Mike was bubbly and sweet walking back to the car, his footsteps loud and cumbersome.

His giggles sounding off the trees and and sounding like howls.

Mike opened the passenger door and got in in one fluid motion. 

Gio hopped in swiftly after.

“So, home or….?”

Gio trailed off.

“Wanna go to maybe, I don’t know, an ice cream shop? I still have some money left over from that pervert.”

Mike said nonchalantly, flopping his hand back.

“I’ll pay for it, you can buy something else with that”

Gio said sternly, a softness following his tone.

Mike huffed and crossed his arms at the dismissal.

“Fiiiine”

Mike sighed.

“Hey c'mon cheer up! We will still get ice cream!”

Mike’s ears twitched at the comment, he started drooling at the thought.

xXx

“So which flavour do you want? There’s around 30 flavours they serve here!”

Gio said, displaying the gelato display with his hand.

Mike’s jaw dropped, he was back in his human fo but he still had a huge gaping jaw.

“Any flavour?”

Mike peeped, craning his head towards Gio.

Gio nodded.

Mike looked over every flavour, he grimaced at the mint flavour, not mint chocolate, just mint.

“What is it with you Italians and mint anyways? It doesn’t even taste good!”

Mike jabbed.

Gio simply shrugged.

“Raspberry!”

Mike said with a childish giggle

Gio got nutella and they both exited the shop and sat at a nearby table.

Mike gave his big long strokes of his tongue, Gio more tame and simple licks.

Mike periodically took a bite out of it, his eyes following Gios mouth and his gelato.

Gio made eye contact and went back to licking his ice cream.

“Want a taste?”

Gio piped up, his eyes curious.

Mike nodded, blushing slightly.

He gave gios a small cat lick, letting it melt on his tongue.

“Mmm! It’s really good! Here try mine! Careful it’s kinda sour!”

Mike handed Gio his cone, he took a long lazy lick of the ice cream, handing it back to Mikey with a faint wink.

Mike blushed, hiding behind his ice cream.

“Haha so uhh, wanna go for a walk?” Mike peeped, his voice high and cracked.

“There’s a peer nearby, connected to a barge and a nice walk by the lake side along the way.”

Mike nodded quickly, he finished his gelato before Gio did. 

Mike spaced out as he caught sight of a map displayed in a shop window. 

“That’s a map of the world right?”

Mike pointed, his gaze betraying he was confused.

Gio looked and giggled.

“No wolfie, that’s a map of Tarugia!”*

“Oh! I don’t really know either way, I’ve never been out of Frigida!* A stupid Canadian and all!”

Mike said with a hearty laugh.

Gio bopped him on the head.

“You’re not stupid! Cmon! 

Gio said with a stern tone.

Mike rolled his eyes mockingly.

“Suuuure, whatever, almost done your ice cream?”

Mike changed the subject.

“Well at least you aren't from Terasubia!* Most of those Americans aren’t the brightest!”

Gio giggled.

“True!”

Mike laughed.

The pair finished their gelato and found the bricked path beside the lake, the two taking in the sights and the two's company. 

The men walked closely, side by side.

They got judgmental stares and grunts from bystanders, the two not giving in to the social awkwardness of the stares. 

Mike got pissed off by all the gandering people, he took Gio’s hand in his own, earning a surprised and shocked look from Gio.

Mike simply looked over and smiled at him, his head tilted, giving a charmed look from Gio.

“Fucking queers!!!”

A ragged looking man shouted behind them.

Gios grip tightened slightly, Mike could sense the anger starting to rise in him.

Mike gave him a reassuring squeeze and smiled again.

The man called out again and Mike simply turned around and put a hand on Gios shoulder and gave him a wink.

“Duh!? What else would we be? Straight? Bleh! Booooringggg!”

Mike said with a giggle.

The man looked enraged.

He trotted up to Mike with a stern stance, they were the same height.

“So, why are you so fucking unnatural then, hey faggot? Why not be normal and give it not take it up the ass! Fucking freak!”

Mike chuckled at the comment.

“Well since you insist, I guess I could fuck you but i don’t like assholes, sorry.”

Mike said flatly.

“Why you fucking abomination! I-

The man started.

Mike growled deeply.

Gio went to speak but Mike hushed him, it was his turn.

“Why am I an abomination huh? Because I can get laid and you can’t?”

The man was red in the face with anger.

“See, if you ever talk like this to another person, monster etc I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb. You have no room to judge someone on whom they take to bed with them.

Now if you’d like to keep annoying me and my fella, you can take it up with these.”

Mike said, opening his mouth and flashing his fangs and molars to the deadbeat, his claws peering from his hood.

The man went stiff, his face blanking.

Mike tapped Gio on the shoulder, giving a smirk.

Gio opened his mouth in a yawn, letting both sets of fangs grow and bare in the jerks face. 

“So, if you don’t mind, I’m hungry and not in the best mood. So it'd be appreciated if you went along your own, merry, way.”

The man backed away slowly, his hands level with his shoulders up in submission.

The pair giggled, Gio smiled at Mikey in gratitude. 

Mike simply smiled back and grabbed Gios jacket and kissed him.

Gio's eyes blew open in surprise.

Mikey looped his arms around Gio’s neck and pressed his body against Gio’s, the heat of the wolf resonating between the two.

Gio placed his hands on Mike’s hips to steady themselves, the soft touch got a hug from Mike.

Mike started kissing Gios face and his nose, then went to his neck leaving soft pecks.

“Oh? You want to suck my blood?”

Gio said jokingly.

Mike snickered and started leaving little nips on the vampires neck, kissing them after.

Slight gasps escaping Gios lips.

Mike started backing Gio up to a tree, then started nipping a little harder.

Gio’s grip would tighten on Mike’s hips slightly after every nip.

“Ima werewolf, not a vampire”

Mike said as he bit Gio’s neck and started teasing his soft skin between his sharp teeth.

He bit and pulled away slightly, teasing his neck.

His tongue stroking up Gio’s neck in long, strong licks.

He went back to a slightly red spot and bit a bit harder, then started picking and teasing again.

Gio’s skin became red and then turned purple.

Gio gasped and reached for Mike’s shoulder, his grip strong but light.

Mike started leaving purple marks all over the vampire's neck.

“This is how werewolves maul and tease people”

Mike said, his lips wet and puffy.

He gave a hard nip and left Gio’s neck with another long, warm lick.

Gio stood there breathless, looking at Mike leaving his neck.

“W-when did you plan th-that?”

Gio stuttered.

“I didn’t”

Mike said nonchalantly, a wink leaving the smirking wolves face.

“Shall we?”

Mike motioned to the rest of the path.

Gio nodded quickly, his face blushing.

“You know you really are adorable when you blush sweetheart”

Mike said cheerfully.

Gio blushed harder.

Mike took Gio’s hand and started walking slowly, allowing Gio to catch up with his pace.

xXx

“Careful Mikey! Don’t fall!”

Gio yelled behind Mike who was climbing along smooth rocks by the barge side, being covered in wet moss they were extremely slippery.

In Gio’s eyes, dangerous, in Mikey’s eyes, fun.

They took a picture after Gio carefully made his way onto the rock Mike was sitting on.

They walked back to the square where they got gelato and danced to the songs playing there.

The two waltz the night away, Mike got a drink from the bar.

Mike liked sweet and sour things a little too much.

He chose a fruity drink, sex on the beach.

His taste in alcohol betrays his love for bitterness in both drink and people.

Gio obviously denied any drink when Mike offered, simply compromising with the wolf to taste it, just a sip.

The pair soon went back to Gio’s car and drove home, singing to songs along the way happily.

As Gio parked his car Mike belched, his throat filled with bubbles.

“Hey you okay?”

Said Gio, a concerned look on his face.

“Yep! I’m fine!  **Burp** ! My gullet just gets weird sometimes with alcohol and carbonated drinks! I belch a bit sometimes”

Mike said with a belly laugh.

Gio smiled lovingly at Mike, his eyes soft and full of protectiveness. 

An overwhelming urge to protect this man, this werewolf, the spindly little omega whose only known suffering sitting next to him.

His heart ached for Mike past, being similar in some ways like his own.

But it was something else tugging at his heartstrings at this moment, that taste of his blood, the difference was clear as day. 

What was different? 

It tasted… sweeter.

Something, alluring.

Gio pushed the nagging thought to the back of his brain as he exited the car, Mike was waiting for him at the door leading into the apartments.

His tail wagging profusely, his smile dopey and happy.

“Is puppy happy?”

Gio snickered.

Mike giggled childishly.

They made their way up the stairs, Mike sprinted halfway up and waited at Gio’s door for him to unlock it.

“Cmon slow poke!”

Mike teased.

A mock fickle mood displayed on Gio’s face as he huffed up the stairs, trying to follow Mike’s pace took the wind out of him.

“I’m not as flexible and lithe as you are puppy, I’m built like a tank not a quad like you.”

Gio teased back.

Mike stuck out his tongue defyingly, his true teasing, flirtatious manner slowly revealing itself.

Gio relaxed as he saw Mikey feeling relaxed and happy.

Gio had never met someone so carefree in the presence of him before, he wasn’t afraid when he drank his blood, not scared when he transformed either. 

Not even when he was in the same bed as him, this man really did have trust issues but those walls were slowly taken down at his own will, Mike really did trust him.

This werewolf, someone who could easily be murdered for just letting on he was a werewolf decided in a vampire to trust with his secret.

And of all vampires, him.

As Gio reached the door and unlocked it, Mike gave him a hug and bolted in, going straight to the fridge and started taking sips from the straight vodka inside.

Gio giggled as Mike burped from the alcohol.

Even after drinking alcohol, he kept lowering his guard.

Mike hurried to Gios' bed and jumped on it like a child.

A giggling escaping from his mouth and resonating from his belly.

His tail tail twitching softly on the bed.

“I’m going to take a shower, make yourself comfortable as always!”

Gio hollered as he closed the bathroom door.

Mike barked back happily, a hush coming from the bathroom, it was almost midnight.

Mike closed his mouth quickly, 

He giggled to himself and covered himself in sheets and blankets, urged to build a little cocoon around himself.

He giggled to himself as he jumped around the bed covered in blankets.

His neck was itchy, as he scratched his trapezius muscle he felt soothed and calmed, his mood mellowing out.

His instincts telling him to cuddle up in the blankets more and more.

The lean werewolf was tangled in bedding by the time Gio had dried himself off and opened the door to his bedroom.

He was hit with a thick sweet smell as he cracked the door open, it smelled like vanilla, cloves and slightly burnt sugar.

A sweet and gentle yet masculine and commanding smell.

“Mikey? Are you okay? Are you eating sweets?”

Gio called out, the room was completely dark.

A small whimper escaping from a large fluffy bundle of fabric in the middle of the bed.

A wave of warmth emanating from the bunch of bedding and the younger man tangled within it.

Another needy whine escaping the nest of heat.

Gio took a deep breath of the air, it was sweet, it was strong. 

Not the candle, it was unlit.

“Mikey, are you okay? Move once for yes move more for no.”

Gio said softly, careful to keep his voice sweet.

There wasn’t movement for a second, then the blankets shafted shaking violently.

Not good.

“Mikey, when was the last time you had a heat cycle?”

His voice took an even sweeter tone.

Mikey’s hand popped out of the blanket with his whole palm, fingers spread wide.

“Months?”

Gio peeped.

“Years”

Mike chirped, his voice shaking and whiny.

It hit Gio in a second, Mike was getting in a heat cycle.

Bad, bad and more bad.

“Mikey calm down, don’t worry you’re fine. And don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you.”

Mike whined from blankets, mind whirling.

“Help”

Mike whined, his voice sad and pitiful.

“Okay, Mikey I’m going to call someone, they will know how to help and don’t worry, they won’t tell anybody about you”

Mike panicked and jumped from the blankets.

“No no no! I’ll get hurt! I know it! Yep please! I don’t wanna die!”

Mike begged, his eyes filling with tears.

“Baby, sweetly! I’ll never do anything to harm you, it’s a friend. They won’t hurt you nor will they tell anybody who you are or what you are”

Gio promised, his voice sweet as honey and vanilla.

“Do you trust me?”

Mikey didn’t say anything.

“Yes”

Mike breathed.

His head and heart were heavy with panic.

xXx

“Yes doctor, I know it’s the middle of the night but I know this will be worth your time!

Just please come to my apartment, I need your help. 

This isn’t some stupid cat I found on the road okay!?

Good! Please hurry, I-we really need your help!”

Gio hung up his phone with a huff, exhausted.

He coddled Mike in his arms, holding him like a baby. 

The werewolf was cold and wanted to feel safe, his quickly made nest not helping.

“Alpha…”

Mike whimpered as he hugged Gio tighter.

The sweet smell filling the room like a thick, heavy, intoxicating fog.

“Hewlp pwease”

His voice turned whiny and needy.

A pleading look on his face as he stared at Gio, he knew what Mike wanted.

His body would need relief from the tension that plagued his body.

A heat cycle, at least in werewolves, was a biological need to mate and make pups, but because of the human part of him he only had it about once every two months, normally.

Like a heat in normal wolves, it curried over to him.

Because of this, he took suppressants to quite literally suppress those feelings and urges.

But, because he shifted, his nutrition intake, his heat cycle has reappeared and is taking a huge effect on his body, along with the alcohol.

Because he hasn’t had a heat in five years, this heat was going to be very very bad for him. 

He was also in the presence of an alpha, even though he was a faux alpha, only being one because Gio felt like his alpha and because he’s a vampire.

Vampires being able to become alphas hormonally in the presence of a partner or mate or in some cases, a friend that just needs an alphas presence to soothe them, a survival technique.

Gio knew what to do, his hormones changing into an alpha endotype. 

“Mikey, baby, I can’t do anything. You might get really hurt in this state. My friend will help you, they know about werewolves. They know how to help you exactly.”

Gio said, brushing Mike’s shaggy hair out of his eye and behind his ear.

“Promise?”

Mike peeped.

Gio nodded and kissed his forehead tenderly.

“I’m going to get you some food okay? Anything you want in particular?”

Mike shook his head.

Pizza it was then.

xXx

**_:Ring ring ring:_ **

**_“Pizza delivery!”_ **

“Mozzarella…”

Mike said sadly, though he was content for the time being.

Gio smiled at the wolf, giving him a pat on the head and a kiss on the cheek.

The omega ate almost the entire pizza, his belly getting awoke with the food and lazy from the alcohol he snuck.

Gio handed him a glass of milk and he drank it without haste, his body was doing him over hard.

His metabolism was lower than usual, but his appetite increased.

It was a hormonal issue, to build up fat in preparation for having a baby, but obviously he will not be getting pregnant tonight.

His body wasn’t used to being In heat, let alone shifting. 

Add his horrible weight and hormone imbalance and he’s a walking horny, hormonal mess. 

His body was trying to adapt and gain weight fast to help with his heat but Gio stopped him from eating anymore food after his pizza.

He mustn’t eat too much or his lean, skinny body would reject the food and start to throw up among,  _ other things _ .

“Want more fooood!”

Mike whined, his body craving more fuel.

“No puppy, no more. You’ve already eaten twice your normal amount of food tonight. Slow down, you’ll be fine. You don’t need to eat more.”

Mike whined and Gio simply tapped his nose softly.

“Want food… want…..yooouuuuu….please….”

Mike whimpered again, using his puppy eyes trying to bargain with Gio.

Gio shook his head sternly, his eyes filled with sympathy for Mikey, he couldn’t help what his body was doing to him.

**Ring Ring Ring!**

Morgan.

Gio knew who it was before he even answered the door bell.

“Hello?”

“You know who it is, you said it was urgent so let me in!”

A mechanical voice said through the speaker.

Mike whimpered and bolted to the bedroom, making another nest quickly.

“Mikey, like I said, they’re fine. They won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Mike nodded and Gio opened the door to go down and let the stranger in.

xXx

“Mikey, I’d like you to meet Morgan, this is a long, long standing best friend of mine. She is around a hundred years old but doesn’t look a day over ninety!”

Gio gave a soft bump on Morgan’s shoulder, a short, black haired girl walked through the door, her pink eyes behind glass and her skin tan like golden honey.

A tiny lab coat shrouding her body and limbs.

“Hello Mister Michael, I heard you were in an inconvenient and uncomfortable situation here, I’ve come to help.” 

The petite girl slowly and cautiously approached Mikey, his whole body burning up within the blanket nest.

“Alphaaaa”

Mikey called out, Gio rushed to his side and pet his hair and stroked his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Careful, he’s very skittish”

Gio informed Morgan.

The girl took another slow step towards the fearful omega.

Gio growled as Morgan reached to pull the covers off Mikey, his fangs flashing and Morgan gave him a pissed off look.

“You asked me to help, now either let me help your omega or I’ll leave.”

Morgan stated.

Gio huffed, his body was overreacting that he knew.

Morgan slowly pulled the blankets off of Mikey, careful not to frighten or make the omega jump.

“Gioele, please don’t tell me what I think this is…”

Morgan said with a sigh.

“Yes… he is.”

“Of all the things you could!”

Mike winced at the shout Morgan bellowed out.

Morgan lowered her voice.

“I’m sorry, Mikey how do you feel? I’m sorry if I scared you”

Morgan said softly, giving an ugly eye to Gio.

“I’m…..okay…..”

Morgan smiled sweetly, her eyes flashing hot pink.

“Are… are you going to hurt me?”

Mike said quickly.

Morgan shook her head.

She pulled a small suitcase from beside the bed and opened it with a double click of the locks.

She pulled out a plastic container with a sparkly sludge like substance.

“Here, this is some slime I brought with me to help ease your nerves! It smells like juniper, lavender and lemon. It will help keep you calm”

Morgan said with a smile, Gio still eyeing the container suspiciously.

Mike unscrewed the tub and poked it, he pulled out the purple shimmering slime and smiled widely.

He started playing with it quickly, ripping it and moulding it in his hands.

His tail wagged under the blanket betraying his curiosity.

Morgan waited until Mike was completely infatuated with the slime and peeled the layers off him.

Gio stepped away to give more space to Morgan to work.

She checked over Mike’s neck, noting no bond mark.

She took his temperature, blood pressure and listened to his stomach and heart with a stethoscope.

Mike was fully content with the weird slime, he didn’t care about being looked over by the doctor.

“He seems fine but I know by your urgency he’s down right not”

Gio nodded.

“He needs proper medicine, not humans nor werecats. If he consumes either his body could put right shut down.”

Gio grew concerned quickly.

“Buuuut, thankfully, you called the right person. I have been wanting to study werewolves ever since they were exiled. Since then I haven’t been able to update my knowledge on the almost extinct race. I will help in exchange to learn about him and his health. It’s a win win. So, why’d ya say Gioele? Do we have a deal?”

Morgan cooed.

“It’s his decision, I’m not going to make a choice for him when it’s his body you’re looking at and poking around. Ask him.”

Gio stated, his tone stone cold.

Morgan huffed.

“Michael? I have an important question for you.”

Morgan inquired, her gaze soft and she smiled sweetly.

“Y-yes….?”

Mike stuttered as he played with the slime, he smiled, not taking his eyes off it.

Morgan composed herself before she asked the question, she didn’t know how Mike would react.

Even though she knew werewolves before the war, she didn’t know after war generations* tendencies. 

“I would like to run some tests and write things down about you. I will not use your name, simply give you a patient number. This is all to help other werewolves like you and yourself. They won’t be painful, simply information to catalogue and put into a private book to help grow the medicine for other monsters and your own kind. In exchange I can help you a lot more than any other doctor can. I only want to help you and others, please.”

Morgan pushed her glasses up with a pen.

“Fine…”

Mike said with a sigh, still focused on the slime.

“Then it’s settled, Morgan, anything you need to do right now?”

Gio huffed.

“Yes, I need to give him a temporary heat suppressant to let his body calm down. It will only last throughout the night but it will work, for now.”

Morgan said tapping her case.

Gios' face twisted into confusion.

She pulled out a small syringe filled with a blue clear liquid.

Mike was too focused on the slime to notice the needle.

“Okay Michael, you might feel a pinch but you’ll be better after this”

Mike’s ear twitched dismissively, Morgan touched his neck bond and rubbed it gently to calm him down more.

Just as Morgan was about to give Mike the shot, Gio remembered what Mike said.

“Good! I hate shots! Well I guess any medical needles in general!”

His cheerful giggle reverberating in his skull.

A chill ran up his spine as he watched in slow motion Morgan prick Mike with the shot.

In an instant Mike jumped on the floor and growled after being injected, his form changing into a whole new form immediately.

A form Gio had seen before, his feral form, it must be.

The syringe was empty, all the medicine went into Mike’s neck but he was panicked at the altercation.

His tail raised in defence, his head low bearing to the ground in the corner, his lips riled up and his teeth bared.

His hair bristled, his eyes wide and fearful.

His paws were large and his claws sickly long and jagged.

His eyes glowing red and silver, his nose pointy and wet.

His tail bushy and long, choppy, it looked kinked and crooked. 

His teeth elongated and yellow.

“Gioele what the fuck!?”

Morgan yelped, her fear edging.

“I didn’t have the time to tell you! He’s afraid of needles!”

Gio argued.

Mike stayed frozen in the corner, his fear rolling off in waves to Gio. 

He’s still an omega and Gio is his alpha.

“Baby, you’re fine. It was to help you, you’ll be fine! Please baby calm down!”

**_Pff_ **

“He’s fine, there’s also a tranquilizer in that shot, he will soon go under and be sedated for the rest of this, horrible night.”

Morgan puffed, her chest puffed out and her eyes confidently closed.

“What the fuck Morgan? You didn’t tell me that!!”

Gio was shocked.

Morgan huffed, her work here was done.

“I’m leaving, call me in the morning”

She left a slip of paper by the bed, Mike was quickly losing consciousness, slumping and growling.

Gio anxiously approached Mikey, his hands low to the ground submissively and unthreatening.

“Shh shh shhhh it's okay puppy, I’m sorry I didn’t know she would hurt you like that and scare you.”

Gio said softly, he reached for Mike’s head and a slight growl escaped the wolf.

Mike whined as Gios hand touched his forehead, his form dropping immediately.

“Please help…”

Mike said weakly.

His head dropping repeatedly, his arms trembling from his weight.

Gio rushed to catch him as his arms gave out, his body slumped in the warm embrace.

Gio slowly picked Mike up and carried him to the bed, his eyes shut and his arms grasping Gio’s broad shoulders. 

His legs crossed and limp.

He laid Mike down softly, he got up to get Mike some milk but the omega whined.

“Just getting you a drink puppy, don’t worry I’ll be right back”

“I…..t-trust….youuuu…..”

Mike slurred.

As he came back he saw Mike was almost asleep, he placed the cup down and wrapped his arm around Mike as he drifted off to sleep.

Gio pulled Mike in tighter, he felt like he betrayed Mikey with Morgan giving him that shot.

Gio sighed and held Mike close as he himself fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *  
> Tarugia, a shortened name for Cibi gratia terrae, a country also known as Italy by humans
> 
> **  
> Frigida, shortened name for Vi frigoris terra, also known as Canada by humans.
> 
> ***  
> Terasubia, a shortened name for Terras de superbia, also known as the USA by humans. 
> 
> ****  
> A generation of certain monsters after the Great War in which werewolves were exiled and killed off.   
> Like baby boomers and gen Z.


	4. Bloods thicker then coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of a reckless doctor.

“No, get out. Get out of my sight! Filthy dog! I don’t know why you ever thought I cared about you!”

Gio yelled in fury.

His eyes flashing red, they were filled with anger and resentment.

“But… Gio no! Please! I can’t lose you! Please I love you so much! I’ve never truly felt loved until I met you!!! Please don’t do this!!!”

Mike sobbed through his hands, his breath hitching and he hiccuped.

His knees sore from being on the hard cement ground for so long.

He knew what was coming, it happened to him so many times before.

“Aww~ look at the poor mutt. All he wanted was someone to make him feel loved! But the stupid boy never did! He didn’t deserve to feel loved! What a waste of my time! You’re better off dead!”

Gio raged.

“No… please….” 

Mikey cried.

Mike saw the gun hiding behind Gios back, it was pulled up in slow motion in Mike’s eyes.

“Save your breath, worthless waste of life.”

Gio stated, he pointed the shotgun at Mikey’s head.

“Any last words?”

Gio asked.

“I…...love you…”

Mike breathed, his voice ebbing, letting his body limp and accept his fate.

A million thoughts shot through him in a panic and sadness so deep it etched into his bones.

His heart felt like it was stabbed, a knife weeding through his arteries.

A rigged knife, twisting and then getting ripped back out.

His eyes went fuzzy, his chest lurched.

His lungs froze and his spine shot.

He looked up to Gio, his dirty messy hair falling into his wet, overflowing eyes, staining it with tears.

His watering mouth searing into a burned smile on his thin pale face.

“And I never loved you.”

Gio said as he pulled the trigger, a loud bang Mike’s visioned blanked.

  
  
  
  
  


He bolted upright in bed, Gio sleeping soundly next to him, snoring away peacefully, a soft smile on his face.

He was in a cold sweat, his head spinning and he had a splitting headache. 

His heart threatened to beat out of his check at a moment's notice.

Just a dream… just a bad, bad dream.

He broke out crying at the dream, his heart aching from it.

He’s never had a nightmare like that ever before, not that bad at least.

He realized in that moment, just how much he loved this man. 

It had only been a couple days and he was this attached to him.

He’d used his body to get through his life and never did he feel this safe around someone.

He’d never been this close or loved someone this much, even though he’d dated people before and sworn he loved them. 

But this, this was real love.

Gio moved, a twitch of his hand and Mike put both his hands on his mouth to not wake him, but it wasn’t sound that was waking Gio.

Gio’s nose twitched and he sniffed the air, still asleep.

His scent, this scent must have been filled with fear and sadness and Gio could smell it.

When Mike was scared or anxious his scent would smell very badly.

His sweat glands would overreact and it could tell anybody in a room of his fear.

Gio groaned and whined in his sleep, mumbling.

Mike stroked Gio’s forehead trying to soothe him, he realized he considered Gio as a mate, his alpha….his….boyfriend.

He coed the larger man back to sleep, thinking of ways to stop him from waking up.

He lit the candle on the nightstand but knew he needed to do something else as well… but what?

A lullaby!

He searched within the depths of his mind to find that he could sing and found it quite quickly.

“Dancing bears,

Painted wings,

Things I almost remember,

And a song someone sings,

Once upon a December.

Someone holds me safe and warm,

Horses prance through a silver storm,

Figures dancing gracefully across my memory

Someone holds me safe and warm,

Horses prance through a silver storm,

Figures dancing gracefully across my memory.

Far away,

Long ago,

Glowing dim as an ember,

Things my heart used to know,

Things it yearns to remember

And a song someone sings

Once upon a December”

Mike sang, his voice getting quieter with each sentence.

Mike also needed the lullaby, with a kiss to Gio’s forehead, he snuggled back into Gio’s arms and sighed, please don’t give me another nightmare.

Mike fell asleep, singing the lullaby to himself and listening to the hustle and bustle of the city outside the balcony.

xXx

“Mikey~”

Gio said.

“Mikeyyy~”

He said again.

“Wake up puppy”

Mike’s head was pulsing, his joints stiff and his muscles tired.

“Whaaaaaaaaa...”

Mike said sleepily, his hands pulled out of the blankets and covered his face.

“It’s breakfast time sleepy head, cmon!”

Gio said as he gently shook Mike’s shoulder.

“Breakfast…..mmmmm…..in bed….?”

Mike groaned.

Gio giggled, “sure thing baby”

Gio kissed Mike’s forehead tenderly, he could tell Mike was not in a good place right now.

He was having a tough time, probably because of last night.

“You are the only good thing in this world oh my fucking gods I swear…”

Mike bickered as Gio walked out of the room.

Mike’s muscles screamed at him, he must have been moving around last night in his nightmare.

His loins felt like they got ripped to shreds, his arms feeling like they were cut from his body.

What happened last night?

His mind blanked as he tried to remember the events that led to this.

He remembered feeling hot and sick, a pizza, doorbell… Morgan...a pain in his neck….. shifting into something and then Gio slowly lulling him to sleep.

He was encased in fear again, it seeped through his skull, wiggling through his occipital. 

His spine tingled, a spiking pain.

“Fucking body pain...fucking doctors!!!!”

Mike bellowed in anger, grabbed a pillow and muffled his screams with it.

“Hey! Calm down wolfie! It’s still only 7am!”

Gio hollered from the kitchen.

Mike punched the mattress weakly, his fist curled meekly.

He huffed as he pulled the pillow up, drool soaking the pillow and stringing from it to his lip.

His eyes sunken in and heavy, dull and dark.

His fingernails morphed into claws slightly, his ears sharpened and his fangs grew.

The yawn he let out ended in a howl, his jaws dislocated and popped.

“God dammit…”

Mike gruffed, his jaw sore now.

“Breakfast, in bed darling?”

Gio peeped through the door, his smile wide and his eyes shining.

He looked like a kid in a candy store looking at Mikey’s disheveled heap.

“Pleaseee”

Mike groaned.

Gio brought warm toast with sour raspberry jam and butter on them, he himself had nutella toast and had brought two glasses of milk with them.

Gio wasn’t lying when he said he knew some of Mike’s favourite tastes.

His light frame couldn’t eat a lot in one sitting so Gio purposefully got him something light yet satisfying.

Mikey drooled at the sight of the toast and milk, his belly grumbled and gurgled.

Because of his human blood has a high metabolism, along with the wolf stomach acids and the wolf metabolism put into one, his fat burned  _ super _ quickly. 

His thin frame looked vulnerable and weak but his bones were strong and his muscles lean.

Gio had a solid build and was soft but still strong and powerful.

If the two were to be put in different groups of fighting styles, Gio would be careful, try to avoid conflict but was deadly.

Michael was cunning and liked a psychological fight over a physical one.

Gio was brute force, Mike, mind games.

He’s lived off mind games and cons, jokes and lies.

He was forced too since he was a young pup.

To ponder and think about his own brain, then when he started to meet people and learn about human nature he knew how to get into their heads.

He would manipulate and manifest to, an extent, to get what he needed.

His cunning mind kept him alive all throughout his life, he was smart.

His head hurt after thinking about his own brain.

He felt like he was starting to get an ego from thinking and remembering things about his past.

He rolled onto his belly and yawned again.

He left nervous and scared but ate the toast gratefully. 

Gio’s phone started ringing, a loud melody playing.

Mike looked up at Gio’s ticked off face as he answered the phone.

“Yes, what do you want? Do you know what time it is!?”

Gios mouth shut and his eyes narrowed.

“When? Is he there now? Yes I’ll be there.”

Gio sighed as he blipped the phone off.

“Mikey, do you want to help me with something?”

Gio peeped.

Mike nodded, tiredness ebbing his movement.

He rose up and was hit with a slowed vision, everything silenced, his heart the only sound he heard.

His vision went staticy and he heard his heart beating faster and faster.

“Hey you alright?”

Gio inquired, his tone confused.

Mike nodded, he stared at the doorway behind Gio.

A blank stare as his mind went dark.

“Hva faen….”

Mike mutters, Gio looked over at him in more confusion.

“Sorry, just, phasing out”

Mike laughed flatly.

Gio gave him a sceptical look but shrugged and walked back into the kitchen.

Mike raised his body, his lanky frame following his head in a jagged, almost robotic rhythmic movement.

His jaws straining to yawn again, his brain needed more oxygen.

His joints clicked into place, his muscles flexing, his sinew straining just to get off the bed.

His feet touched the cold tile floor, he twitched and he shivered at the foreign sensation.

“Kald….”

Mike mumbled numbly.

His brain felt like mush.

He stretched his arms and his elbows clicked and snapped as he pulled his muscles back alive.

His lungs taking a shuddered breath, his feet still ached.

As he hauled himself off the bed finally, his back clicked into place.

“Come on puppy!”

Gio hollered out.

Mike combed through his hair with his long scarred fingers.

His pale fingers and his sharp claws snagging in his hair.

He sniffed his shirt and gagged at his scent.

It was full of fear, filled with terror.

It repulsed him.

“Can I take a shower?”

Mike called out flatly, a blatant disregard for how he sounds.

A song running through his head while he waited for Gio’s response.

“Go ahead baby!”

Gio called.

He washed any dirt out of his eyes and his tail, it still had some twigs stuck in it.

He scratched his tail and jumped giddily at the pleasant sensation.

Although he felt like a puppet to his past, he was still alive and well.

To him though, it felt as though he was a ghost, transparent.

As the water seeped down his spine, his head felt alive and raging against himself. 

Along with the world.

He kept washing his eyes and his tail, his claws scraping the plastic shower floor.

His nail caught the drain cover, he gruffed and tugged the paw, the drain cover coming off his claw.

An exhausted huff escaping his mouth, getting water in his eyes.

His soaked pearly fur with soap and water, his skin felt silky and soft as he patted down his thighs.

  
  


He turned the shower off and stepped out, the cold air hitting his bare chest and his more sensitive parts.

He got goose nipples all up his thighs and his abdomen, he rubbed them to warm them and go back down.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door to see Gio standing there with a small package in his hands looking guilty. 

“What’s this..?”

Gio’s eyes opened wide in embarrassment.

“Uhh haha just a little something I thought you could use!”

Gio said hurriedly.

Mike looked surprised and flushed in the face.

“I… I can’t take anything from you, you’ve already given me so much!”

Mike said, obviously flabbergasted.

Gio pushed the package closer to Mike with pleading eyes.

Mike giggled as he took the package and waltzed over to Gios bed and started ripping the hard parcel wrapping open.

His curiosity got the best of his as he ripped open the bubble wrap with his teeth.

His fangs leaving unique bite marks in the teeth, Gio patted Mike shoulder as to keep him from destroying the contents.

Gio noted the intricate fang holes and molar bites of the package.

Mike saw the box, neatly wrapped protectively with shrink wrap and a white cardboard box, about the size of a tablet.

He opened the box and gasped, a phone.

A nice one too.

Mike had only had old broken phones in the past to take photos with and listen to videos and music on coretube.

He only would be able to listen to them offline if he recorded the songs with a voice recorder.

All his past phones had been lost or shut down and so he simply kept them in a makeshift lockbox in his shed.

He was sentimental to the core, his memories making him want to keep going. 

He started tearing up as he carefully pulled the phone out and peeled off the protective plastic screen layer.

The film came off in a satisfying peel, his ears twitched as it left the cold sleek screen.

His fingertips glossed over the smooth screen leisurely, his nails dragged across it like diamonds.

The dark screen shimmered like black ice.

“This is mine? Like to keep?”

Mike questioned.

Gio nodded excitedly.

Mike’s tears started again, he picked up the phone and turned it on.

It lit up with a ring floating and circling around an apple.

It booted up and gave a welcome scene to the viewer, the welcome turned into different languages and symbols.

Gio stated intently at the werewolf peering at the booted phone.

He put the phone down and tackled Gio to the bed and hugged him tightly.

His excitement breaking through his seams.

“Why did you get me a phone!?”

Mike giggled as he cupped Gios cheeks.

“I thought you could use one, also your handsome face needs to be seen by people.”

Gio stated as he pet Mike’s head energetically.

Mike dipped and rolled around on the bed on his back, he didn’t know what to say.

He pulled on a shirt and boxers before he proceeded further in exploration.

Mike surged through the phone and added his personal touch everywhere he could. 

He downloaded old apps he had before on his old phones.

He got a tap on the shoulder and looked up to see Gio keeping in a giggle.

“Whaaat?”

Mike asked, his face red in embarrassment.

“It’s just, you’re really cute when you’re focused on something!”

Gio chimed.

Mike hid his face in the pillow below his legs, the corners puffed up on the sides of his face.

His cheeks were hot and flushed.

Gio hugged the young werewolf gently, his soft muscly arms squishing the man's pink cheeks.

“Hey, wanna help me with something?”

Gio asked.

“Sure! What is it?”

Mike chirped.

“I have a friend who’s having a dispute at his territory, it’s not for the fault of heart but if you wanna come and see how vampires squabble amongst themselves you’re welcome to watch”

Gio giggled.

Mike nodded quickly.

  
  


xXx

Mike twiddled his finger through his hair as he stared out the window, mesmerised by the power lines and trees passing by.

The pair arrived at the parkade, the grocery store looking almost empty.

Mike dawned his black and white mask that Gio had bought him for covering his face to help him be safe around people.

They went to get some snacks first, though Mike may have gotten too many weird snacks.

  
  


Cookies

Seaweed

Nutella

Berries

Fish

Roots

Jerky 

Grains 

Nuts & seeds

Dried fruit

Among other, odd foods.

The boy was truly a survivor, he ate nutrient packed food when he got his paws on it.

A balanced diet on a beggars budget.

His scratchy mitts reach for random items on shelves by habit.

His eyes opened wide at the amount of food Gio bought for the two, though his eyes were also plastered on the man's behind.

His sharp nails ripping the plastic bags slightly, the plastic stretching along the wolves digits.

He was a man of simplicity and survival, but he had to kick his jumpy habits to be a “normal” member of society.

As he was taught the proper plants and animals that were good for eating, he also knew how to cook and preserve them with little work, effort and supplies.

He learned what plants to use to heal wounds, scratches, sprains and gashes.

What plants to put into a poultice or make into a tincture, how to make splints and wraps.

How to hunt in human form, to trap and capture.

Locking spears for frogs and small rodents, snares and trigger snares for larger animals.

How to make arrow tips and make clubs from rock and wood.

His survival intelligence surpassed his father and all his siblings.

He could camouflage himself with the brush or snow, the bushes and trees. 

To protect his eyes from the sun and his skin from mosquitoes. 

Charcoal paste under the eyes and on the cheeks for helping snow glare and hot sun, mud for blood sucking bugs.

How to escape an avalanche and cross a raging river.

To make a home in the trees or in a bog or in the winter.

He prides himself on his instincts.

Though right now he needed to start learning how to be vulnerable and let his guard down.

He knew that much.

His heart's rock hard shield started to crumble ever so slowly every time he saw the vampire smile.

He hated the fact he was vulnerable around him, he could easily kill him but he stayed.

Mike shook his head as he got lost in his thoughts, thinking about food of course.

Mike’s first image that flashed in his brain after coming to was a tub of peanut butter cup ice cream.

His favourite ice cream ever.

His mouth drooled at the sight, his face pressed up against the freezer glass, his soaked mask leaving a mark on the door.

His eyes wide in awe and the want for peanut butter cups  _ with  _ ice cream.

His stomachs growled and his mouth sopped.

He slowly turned to face Gio staring at his shopping list, oblivious to the wet mouthed werewolf in front of him.

Mike whimpered pitifully, his eyes growing wide as Gio looked up from the paper.

Gio stared at the hungry omega, his puppy eyes burning their way into his brain.

He couldn’t say no, Gio made a giggly raspberry at Mike and nodded.

He grabbed two tubs and carefully set them in the shopping cart, along with whipped cream.

He nestled the ice cream between the fish and Nutella.

Mike made a weird satisfied “ **zzzzbbt!** ” noise as he smiled euphorically.

“Hey, do you wanna try something new?”

Gio chirped happily.

Mike nodded 

Gio pulled out two blue and white bags from behind his back and held them up playfully in front of Mikey, he jostelled them temptfully.

Mike was mesmerized but the fluid filled bags.

“ws’ dat?”

Mike mumbled, still mesmerized.

“Mozzarella cheese!”

Gio said excitedly.

Mike looked at the bags suspiciously but shrugged his shoulders and the two finished shopping.

xXx

“Are you sure these are good? Like is it even edible?”

Mike tapped the tiny coffee cup with a thin metal spoon.

His feet tapping together leasurly.

“Yes they are! But if you don’t want it I can take it back! You might not have the stomach for it.”

Gio informed, he was taking a sip of tea, a raised mischievous eyebrow.

“Hey! I’m no pussy! *Mike points finger towards Gio* I can stomach anything!”

Mike solidified his point with a menacing stare coming from across the small round table. 

He downed the whole cup in one gulp, his tongue stuck out as he grimaced slightly.

“There! *Mike slammed the cup on the table like a Viking mead mug* all done! See?”

Mike said as he slid the cup across the table to Gio.

“Yes babe I know you weren’t lying, you’re just cute when you’re competitive”

Gio teased.

Mike growled and then let out a peep and hid his face in his hands, flustered.

“Shut up….. I’m not cute!”

Mike grumbled.

“Lieessss”

Gio yawned.

Mike’s body tensed up and he ended up yawning aswell, his jaw letting out wide.

His fangs flashed as he exhaled and his breath let into a slight howl.

His eyes snapped open and his face immediately went fearful, oh no.

“fuck-“

Mike said under his breath.

Gio was about to speak when he heard a loud thunk on the table, along side a large pale fist.

The espresso cup waggled back and forth as it landed on the table, it had been sent flying.

It rolled and went over the table cloth towards the floor and Mike covered his ears for the smash.

But none came.

Mike opened an eye and the large man who had just toppled the table was holding the tiny piece of porcelain in his open palm.

“Come with me. Now.”

The man walked a couple feet from the table, studying both Mike and Gio as they grabbed their phones and started walking away from the table.

The man was tall and hulkling, his broad appearance scared Mike.

A pale complexion and shiny white hair.

Three gnarly matching scars going down one of his eyes, it was white and dead looking.

“What is going on there? Who are you?”

Gio growled under his breath.

“No questions right now, just come.”

The man said a little softer, he must have boticed he had frightened Mike with the forcing presence.

He led them out of the small eating area of the shopping mall, he took them to a maintenance door and knocked three times.

An electric bell buzzed and the door came unlocked, he motioned them to go in.

Mike cowered under Gios arm, he may be a werewolf but he’s still very skittish.

The room inside looked like a normal cleaning closet. 

It was filled with cleaning supplies and tools.

The pair looked at each other in confusion.

“What’s going on!? Please what did we do? Please don’t hurt us!”

Mike begged.

The man thrust his face close to Mike, a menacing glare at the younger man.

“Why would I harm kin or their mates?”

The man bared his fangs, four fangs… two on top and two on the bottom…. 

Another werewolf?

“Are…. wait…. are you a….werewolf…?”

Mike said wide eyed.

“No. I am not”

The man stated.

I’m a flash of white light there stood a giant, wispy black upright standing hound, it’s eye red and the other a muted red, like pink.

The three scars looked like blue fire seeping through the black mass.

“But I am similar to you, brother”

The hound outstretched it’s monster looking paw to shake, Mike obliged. 

“So what’s going on?”

Gio chirped.

His face full of confusion at the exchange of hands.

“Gio he’s a shadow dog! We are similar! A close cousin of my race!”

Mike barked excitedly.

Shadow dogs were originally from the entity race, then they parted when werewolf blood met theirs and became shadow dogs.

Originally named shadow wolves but their name was stolen and changed into shadow dogs.

Humans would summon them, learning their ways and using them to do their bidding as “guardians”.

Or as the lower bloods would call, slavery.

When the humans decided they didn’t have a use for them they attempted to kill them all off around the turn of the century.

They were a slave to the humans, the technique to summon fellow shadow dogs was closely guarded.

They were in place so other shadow dogs could be summoned anywhere to help one another.

But when a human lied about her being a shadow dog, the elders rehearsed how to summon other shadow dogs. 

They thought she had gotten harmed and forgotten the ancient words of summoning their kin.

Normally shadow dogs could simply be summoned as they were.

But after the human used it, the shadow dog she summoned couldn’t do anything to harm her.

He attempted to but was physically unable to.

This feature made them physically, completely harmless towards their summoner.

They were slaves to the humans that learned their tongue.

But now because of technology they were “unneeded”.

“Wait, can’t you not be anywhere except where your summoner is?”

Mike inclined.

The man sighed, pain welling his eyes.

“Yes but… my summoner is dead. Their spirit lingers though and that is why I am technically alone. Her spirit is evil and cruel and it haunts me even now. My old name was Tork but you can call me Len, that was my summoner's name for me.”

Tork stated.

Mike gasped.

“No your names Tork!”

Mike huffed.

The man smiled widely at the comment.

Mike huddled closer to Gio, his nape under his arm.

“Well that’s nice but why are we here?”

Gio asked, he pet Mikey softly on his head getting a deep purr out of the wolf.

The werewolf was content as could be.

He thought about when they went to the gelato joint and his brain carried itself to other places, bad places.

“I wanted to let you love birds know, there’s more werewolves and alike out there then people think. We are watching out for you. Here’s my card, my number is on it if you ever need help.”

Tork handed them a blank card with a single phone number on it.

Mike snatched it and started leading Gio out of the closet, he was getting impatient.

“See ya around brother!” 

Mike called, Tork waved and smiled back.

Mikey was practically welded to Gio’s side, he didn’t want to be anywhere Gio wasn’t.

His paranoia got the better of him, creeping into his brain.

Gio hugged Mikey and spun him around, Mike took a little bit to let go.

Gio didn’t notice Mikey's anxiety until he got side tracked in a store and left Mikey’s side, ultimately causing Mike to go full blown panic mode.

Mike had found Gio and rushed to hug him, his eyes were wet and his face pink.

“Safe”

Mike whispered under his breath as he squeezed the alpha harder.

“Please… don’t leave me…. I’m just scared… I don’t wanna lose you...”

Mike said through his sniffles.

His nose was running and his eyes looked like a mountain brook in summer.

Gio looked confused and concerned at Mike’s sudden behaviour.

“Puppy what’s wrong? What happened? I’m not gonna leave you!”

Gios' honesty stabbed Mikey in the heart with guilt.

He was scared Gio would leave him for some stupid reason, he’d never do that. 

And yet he was still scared.

He felt like a bandaid was put on a gaping wound and then ripped right back off.

He was a horrible boyfriend… or whatever he was to Gio…

“I had a nightmare… you didn’t love me or like me at all…. you shot me with a shotgun after telling me I was worthless and not worth loving...”

Mike shuddered, his nightmare fresh in his mind.

“Oh baby!”

Gio immediately hugged Mike and hoisted him up to hold him in his arms, his feet dangling from the floor.

Gio was overwhelmed by Mike’s sobbing and started crying a bit himself. 

Mike saw Gio’s tear and nuzzled his cheek, trying to stop  **him** from crying.

“Baby… I’ll never leave you.”

Gio stated softly, his voice soothing Mike’s eyes and his straining chest. 

He melted into Gio’s touch, the soft man holding him like a shock victim at a horrible car accident.

He carried Mike out of the shopping mall after getting some more groceries, mainly cookies and monster drinks.

xXx

“Do you want to stay inside? It’s probably safer in here then in there”

Gio pointed to the fortress looking mansion just outside the car door.

Mike shook his head.

He grabbed Gio’s hand confidently and they both walked up to the large wooden doors.

“Okay but be careful okay? I don’t want you getting lost in this place”

Gio said, he squeezed Mike’s hand slightly. 

Gio buzzed the intercom and a video display showed up, a dark scary looking man stared back at him. 

Gio simply looked at the screen sternly, he then took a step back so Mikey was in frame and Mike cowardly slunk a bit by being seen by the man.

The man nodded and the doors opened.

A large foyay spread in front of them, expensive flowers and vases atop gold encrusted wooden tables and shelves.

A large frosted blue staircase leading up to multiple doors and hallways, closets hidden around.

The delicate furnishings placed beautifully around the large lobby. 

Intricate paintings and furniture skirted the tall lavish building.

Gio strutted like he owned the place, he looked around appearing very ticked off.

“Marco! Hey!! I’m here!”

Gio shouted, a door opened at the top of the staircase.

A man with smooth dark honey coloured skin, his hair put up into a beautiful loose bun, his fangs shown like snow against his honeyed complexion.

“Ahhh my dear friend! Gioele how has life been treating you!”

Marco said happily as he descended the pearly blue stairs, his perfectly manicured nails trailing the sleek railing.

The man hurried up to Gio and gave him a soft hug, he hadn’t even noticed Mikey standing a couple feet away.

A low growl escaped Mike’s throat, Marco jumped into Gio’s arms.

“Uhh Marco, that’s Mikey”

He said setting Marco down.

“Oh so so sorry! I forgot about you * Marco giggled* So why did you bring your dog again Gio?”

Mike’s growl turned into a full on warning, he twirled around Gio protectively, his tail curled around Gio's right leg.

His eyes flashed silvery, Marco admired Mike’s eyes like gold.

“He’s not a dog Marco. He’s a person just like you and me.”

Gio said, his tone slightly threatening.

“Oh yes of course! Apologies, I love his eyes, where did you find him?”

Marco inquired.

“A bar.”

Mike growled, his angered gaze focused on Marco.

Gio giggled.

Marco stared into Mike’s eyes and he looked as if he’d fall over.

“Such pure looking eyes, like pure silver~”

Marco cooed, his long sharp acrylic nails inlaid with gold and tiny sapphires stretched close to Mike’s face greedily.

“Okay Marco I came here to help, not have my friend try to poke my boys eyes out.”

Gio huffed.

“Yes yes of course, this way my dears~”

Marco swooned.

He gracefully waved his fingers towards the staircase. 

The pair followed him, Mike’s tail still stroking Gio’s leg.

They passed by statues and paintings of beautiful people of all races and sizes.

There were female orc warriors, male fairy healers and so many more.

But they all had something in common, detailed beautiful eyes.

Honey golden eyes, deep brown hazel eyes, electric blue eyes, crisp green eyes and even violet eyes. 

Marcos' infatuation with eyes made Mike’s skin crawl, and that’s hard.

Marco led them down a vintage wallpaper covered hallway, small rooms connected to it and passed as they walked.

They finally were led to a secret door, Marco pulled what looked like a flaming torch down and the wall popped open and was hoisted up out of sight.

The hallway was dark and gloomy until Marco clapped his hands and several torches lit up, starting from the trio.

“Uhhhh”

Mike muttered.

“Come come!”

Marco ushered, his hands waving forwards.

The three tracked down the hallway until they came upon a cellar door, around it two large holes on either side of the opening in the wall. 

“Uhh what are those?”

Mike pointed to the two holes, a chain was embedded in the wall outside of the tunnels.

“Oh those are my doom hounds!”

Marco said, his voice chipper and high pitched.

He called out into both holes and soon two dog shaped shadow creatures emerged, one a golden brindle and the other a rust coloured one.

The two dogs growled at the strangers but quickly bowed their heads as they caught their scents.

“Seems they like other canines~”

Marco said teasingly.

Mike growled again, Marco put his hands up guilty.

A loud yell sounded through the floor door.

Gio sighed annoyingly, Mike jumped, his tail stuck straight up.

“He’s down there? Really Marco? You truly are a child.”

Gio spat.

Marco looked angry for a second and then relaxed, his hands flexed and calmed down at his sides.

“You know my brother, he has been testing my patience for far too long now. He is trying to take MY territory, I earned it. It’s my birthright Gioele! MY RIGHT!!”

Marcos quickly lost his calm, cool, composure.

His delicate nails looked like scalpels in the dark light, his red eyes flashed against his rich complexion.

His fangs bared and his perfect hair suddenly looked disheveled and fueled by anger.

“Marco if you don’t calm down you might break a nail!”

Gio teased angrily.

Another yell sounded beneath their feet, a pained call for freedom.

Mike’s anxiety was starting to rise over the tension the two vampires were displaying between each other.

The anger and rage could be felt through the damp air.

Gio and Marco froze and kept their eyes locked together.

It was painful, the air wreaked of adrenaline and testosterone, anger ready to boil over.

The two were playing a game, silently watching the other for a single move.

Marcos' eyes were bloody red and Gio’s were icy electric blue, the same energy sparking in them.

Mike’s hand twitched and Marco instantly lunged towards it before he realized his mistake.

A large, loud smack sounded through the chamber.

Marcos' head was limp and loose as it hung from his shoulders, his shame flowing off in waves.

“If you try touching him AGAIN I will rip you to shreds Marco.”

Gio said, his hand still raised, it was bright pink from the slap.

“Fine, I’ll let my brother go but if he makes one mistake I’ll kill him myself.”

Marco growled, defeated.

“Deka! Leave Marcos territory alone and you’ll be fine.”

Gio hollered to the cellar door, Mike was remembering songs and acronyms in his head, putting random letters together and making up sentences with them. 

He would decipher his own codes and make up whole messages in acronyms.

He could control his eyes so well, he could vibrate them on command, he could see well in the dark.

His imagination could run a million kilometres a minute, his hands could twist and crack and break all to keep himself entertained.

The yelling was making his head pulse, a throbbing pain striking like an arrow through his brain.

Suddenly the pain went away, his legs felt light and weak, his head went fuzzy…

His back let out and his legs buckled like having cooked spaghetti for limbs.

He felt warm and surrounded by soft fluffy fur, a damp bark smell mixed with vanilla and cinnamon filling his olfactory system.

A familiar feeling blooming in his heart.

Another good feeling.

  
  


xXx

“Please! Please don’t let him leave me…”

A soft pleading voice sounded in Mike’s ears, a urge to soothe the sad voice.

He always was a person to want to help and be gentle with those who needed comforting. 

His one thought was so lull the person to calm them down, like a crying child.

“...hgh...hush...now…. dear..ch-children…..”

Mike started singing before he even took a breath since his senses came to.

A surprised gasp and a sob started from a ways away and Mike continued to sing the soothing lullaby.

“I’ll...t-take you..away..through.. all the pain…….and the sorrows….”

His voice shuddered as he tried to soothe the unknown weeper.

He couldn’t see, all he could do was hear.

Mike couldn’t feel anything, he couldn’t smell anything or taste.

He heard the unknown voice rush forwards, a tray getting knocked over while the person shuffled towards him.

He heard muffled hiccups and sobs, he didn’t know if they were hugging him or wailing by his side.

His brain is only thinking of one thing, he must calm the frightened.

But he was messing up his lullaby.

“Follow sweet children… I’ll take thee away…. through all the pain and sorrows…...weep.. not poor… children…..” 

Mike’s senses came back slowly, he felt warm arms around him, holding him close and tight.

He was laying, laying on a bed or a mattress…

He started crying aswell though he didn’t know why.

“W-weep not poor children… for life is… this w-way…….. murdering beauty and… passions……”

Mike wept the whole way through, his voice cracking and thick with melancholy.

“G-Gio?”

Mike peeped.

He felt the hug tighten and the sobs lay thicker on his heart.

“You’re alive…”

Gio balled.

“Uhh… of course dummy… can’t.. g-get rid of me that easily....”

Mike cracked, strength slowly licking back into his limbs and body.

His body flooded with the overwhelming urge to hug back, but his arms still wouldn’t raise a centimetre. 

He wanted to grasp Gio, he wanted to console him.

To comfort him but he can’t move.

He can’t even move a finger.

Spirit was wrapped around Gio, an aura nobody could feel or see but himself.

Oh how he wished Gio could feel him hugging him, stroking his cheek, running his fingers through his hair.

Kissing him softly on his forehead, trying to calm him down.

All he could do was say “I love you Gio”

Mike’s lips softly shut, his eyes fluttered but he still couldn’t see anything.

He sensed where he was, he envisioned Gio sitting over him with tears in his beautiful blue eyes.

He constantly would get lost in his eyes, peacefully sleeping or focusing on his phone.

They looked like a summer ocean, a glacier below a setting sun.

Pale sapphires glistening on a snow blanketed peak. 

A blue moon on a clear winters night.

He saw pure beauty and comfort in them.

He knew he was safe, even if he was bleeding out he knew, as long as Gio was there, he’d be fine.

His heart swole with love and happiness at the thought.

“Jeg kan ikke vente med å gifte meg med deg”

Mike muttered, Gio seemed confused and then shuffled through something.

“Again baby? Say it again?”

A recording tone played, Mike happily repeated it.

“Jeg, jeg kan ikke vente med å gifte meg med deg”

Mike smiled as he finished his sentence.

A monotone voice repeated it in Norwegian and then translated it into English. 

“I, I can’t wait to marry you”

Gio burst into tears, he hugged Mike and they both fell asleep, cuddling.

Though he couldn’t move, that sentence made everything better...


	5. Reliving the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small chapters put into one.
> 
> ⚠️Rage and drugging in this chapter along with physical abuse⚠️

“Michael! Get down from there! You’ll hurt yourself!”

Mom yelled, I always hated it when she’d tell me not to do fun stuff. 

I can’t get hurt like them but they still treat me like a normal person! 

I can’t wait to be a man and have a big bushy beard!

Then nobody can boss me around!

But I’m only seven years old, just a kid! 

Mikey climbed down the giant poplar tree with pep in his step, his hands barely gripping the branches before he was on the next.

He dropped down, rolling as he hit the ground to avoid hurting his knees or back and popped up, arms spread wide as if he were an acrobat.

“Honey no! Don’t do that! You know you will hurt yourself!”

Mom cried out as she rushed to his side to check him over for an injury.

He already knew he had none.

“Moooom I’m fine! See! *Mikey lifted his shirt and torn pant legs to show no bruises or scratches from his dramatic show* not a scratch on me!

When’s dad getting home? I wanna go hunting with him!”

Mike’s brain switched subjects as his stomach growled.

“Darling, you know dad can’t take you hunting, not hunting like he could with a normal ch-

Mom cut herself off, Mikey just stared at the ground like he’d been scolded.

He knew he was different, he knew he was broken. 

He learned when he was just a baby that he was different.

Hidden away from society, kept under reins if he was to go out in public.

His family moved to a country house just as he was born, he knew it was to keep his secret.

He was called a bastard child or a mutt or dog blood. 

He never knew what those words meant.

He only learned when his family got a computer and he searched it up, the amount of websites dedicated to hating people like him burned into his brain. 

He was branded with a shame he didn’t deserve as a young child.

He  _ thought _ he was just a normal boy, rambunctious and playful and full of energy.

Turns out the world isn’t what it looks like from a secluded farmhouse on the prairies, it was much more different and hostile then he ever thought.

He had his life stripped from him before he had even breathed air or walked this world.

His childhood, lonely and dull.

His skittish yet aggressive or defensive nature was just starting to take hold of him, he was changing quickly.

His  _ body  _ was changing, his feelings were, even his  _ smile _ was changing. 

Looking back now, he was soon going to be going through puberty, early for a human boy but not a werewolf boy.

His body was different, he had more bones than humans for one.

The average werewolf has around 316 bones and 250.

Mike has 321.

His body isn’t even average for a werewolf.

There’s only about a 1% chance of a silver wolf or a wolf with silver or blue eyes that is an actual werewolf, NOT a shapeshifter or other non werewolf shifting people.

Mike is a silver werewolf.

A rare trophy for a twisted hunter.

Unbeknownst to little Michael, some people will see him as a prize then a person.

His family knew, but he still did not.

Though, soon he would find out.

  
  
  


xXx

“Don’t forget to be careful around houses, remember!!!!”

Dad called out as Mike bolted off, he had just started hitting puberty  **HARD.**

He was constantly in his wolf form, a young pup.

He got a huge growth spurt, he had multiple growing pains and joint issues as he grew taller and taller.

He got pains in his jaw and his back, growing quickly though he was lucky, he didn’t have stretch marks from growing.

His body was perfect, slender and pale.

His moods had changed, he was uncontrollable in his energy bursts, his anger issues growing.

He was clumsy and forgetful.

He ran through the field close to the forest behind his house, he ran through the rows of vegetables and snagged a carrot out of the ground as he split through.

The big juicy carrot dangling from his jowls, dirt sticking to it, stray roots still connected.

He jumped over a bracken thicket and landed in a small hollow connecting to an oak tree, sunshine bled the small circular clearing.

There was a small stream running through, the crisp cold water flowing past rocks and gravel.

He changed form and brushed the dirt off the carrot and started washing it off with the stream water.

This was his sanctuary.

“Yummy yummy yummy”

Mike said, his mouth drooling and his eyes locked on the root.

His hands were ice cold, the carrot looked like candy to him, he loved home grown carrots.

He bit into the orange vegetable happily, the sweet crisp juice rolling over his tongue.

He hummed giddily as he crunched on his bounty.

The warm summer sun soaked his skin, his bleach white body glowing in the light.

He was completely content.

***Snap** *

Mike stood steadfast in an instant, something was there.

A twig, a footstep, breathing.

He could smell the rank stench of beer and cheap tobacco.

Danger.

His hands started shifting.

Mikey gripped the ground softly, his claws cutting through the earth.

A low  _ shhhhhh  _ came from behind the brambles, he was partially safe, but as soon as he leapt from that bush he knew he had to bolt.

“It’s in there”

A voice whispered.

Mike’s anxiety started rising quite quickly, he knew if he made one mistake he’d be dead.

He shifted completely, his pelt laced with fear.

He knew, one wrong step would condemn him.

“I’m sorry mom, sorry dad…” Mike said under his breath.

He bunched up his legs, grabbed a rock and tossed it.

As soon as he heard movement he jumped, the strangers were already too interested in the rock he had thrown to notice him.

His paws twitched with shaky nerves, he had to be careful.

He didn’t look back as he raced through the woods, moss ripping up as he pelted along the trees.

His spine surged with sparks of fear, he dodged stumps and leapt over bushes.

He ran as fast as he’d ever ran before, his paws started bleeding, he could feel it,  _ smell  _ it.

He heard hounds yowling and belting out excited yips and yaps.

His bloody tracks would only help the hunters to find him, he needed a better escape.

The lake.

He could smell the lake, the musky smells of fish and waterfowl, if he were to reach it the hunters wouldn’t be able to find him after that.

He could lose his scent and then take on a new one, maybe garbage or pine.

More yowls sounded behind him, louder and more eager.

He ran up a small cliff and saw the water stretching across beyond it, yes!

He couldn’t stop now, they were right on his tail.

He leapt, his legs outstretched and his face full of blissful fear as he soared through the cold damp air.

The last thing he heard was a gunshot and dogs growling and barking in a frenzy then, he hit the water.

  
  


Everything went silent, his whole world felt like soft fog clouding his vision and senses.

His panic rose as his foot touched a slimy, root covered rock at the bottom.

He quite literally, doggy paddled up and started racing to the shore line under the cliff.

As he reached the muddy land he ran to the bushes to hide, he started rolling in the mud to get his scent covered and his coat to look different.

From stark silver wolf to muddy brown clogged and knotted furred husky puppy.

What just happened? 

Mikey burst into sobbing tears, his nose ran.

Why him? What did he do? He never hurt anybody.

He was just eating a carrot in a hollow, why did he deserve this?

His whole life he was protected and sheltered from the public, he didn’t understand though.

Why him? What was he born into? His family was completely normal, a quaint family in the country close to a small, cozy town.

A horrible thought ran through his brain, kill yourself.

Mike started hitting his head with his paws as he dismissed the intrusive thought.

He can’t let those hunters win.

He licked his back paws, they were still bleeding.

He must have snagged a claw or two when he leapt from the hollow or on a branch along his escape.

He sulked as he left the safety of the bushes and trotted to a nearby building, it was caved in, condemned, abandoned.

Just like him.

The world abandoned him, it had it out for him after he took his first breath.

He didn’t have friends, he didn’t get to see anybody but family.

Even if he was allowed to see family he wasn’t able to shift in front of them or say anything about it.

He sauntered into the old house, a small table in the corner of the room, a raggy blanket bunched under it.

This will do.

He curled up and started crying as he sang a lullaby to himself.

He knew he could never go home after this.

He was on his own now.

  
  


xXx

“You need to stop destroying your body. You look like you fell into a bag of needles with all that metal in your body. You know I hate those disgusting things in your ears, you’re ruining your ears!”

Charlie said, his voice gruff and pissed.

“They make me feel good, I like the look of em”

Mikey said.

“Yeah well they make you look ugly, so, take them out”

Charlie stated.

Mike whimpered slightly, a sad sigh sounding from him.

He slowly unscrewed the piercing in his belly button, then took out the tapers out of his ears.

He rubbed his tender earlobes, they were still healing from being stretched recently.

“Good! Now you look pretty!”

Charlie said happily.

“You know, I’m not your aunt. I wouldn’t hurt you just because I have piercings.”

Mike defended.

Charlie growled, his long slender fingers grabbing Mike’s shirt as he lunged down, biting his soft stomach, making it start gushing blood.

“No please stop that really hurts!!!”

Mike cried.

Charlie kept biting him more, more marks and blood escaping his skin.

He went to Mike’s thighs and kept biting hard and drawing blood.

“That’s what you get for arguing.”

Charlie shouted.

The music on the tv was louder then Charlie's voice, thankfully.

Mike was sitting across the bed, Charlie opposite.

“So, are you gonna kiss me?”

Charlie proposed.

“I-

“Well…?”

Charlie cut Mike off.

Mike slowly crept forward, Charlie pounced on him, pinning him down.

“Well? Are you gonna kiss me?”

Charlie whispered.

Mike’s heart was pounding, his adrenaline pumping.

He raised his head and kissed Charlie softly, his lips twitched.

Charlie started kissing roughly, Mike’s hormones were raging, he didn’t know whether to submit or “attack”.

All of a sudden Charlie gripped around Mike’s throat and started squeezing.

Mike couldn’t breath, his windpipe on the verge of being crushed.

“You know, I could kill you right now if I wanted”

Mike’s eyes ebbed with panic as his lungs screamed at him for breath.

“P-please…”

Mike gasped.

“You couldn’t do anything about it if I decided I wanted to choke you out”

Charlie said, his eyes full of rage.

He started choking harder, Mike grobbled in pain.

Charlie stopped, his eyes turning into pain at the sight of Mike choking on air.

“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean that”

Charlie cried.

Mike kept choking, tears welling in his eyes.

Charlie went in and hugged Mikey, his eyes balling out still.

“Im sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry”

Charlie cried out.

Charlie turned on the game system and handed a controller to Mikey.

“Wanna play Ark?”

Charlie said shamefully.

Mikey nodded and took the controller.

xXx

“Ya’know, you’d be a lot prettier if you smiled more. And if you dropped the emo makeup and black nails. You do know only girls wear eyeliner and paint their nails right? Pick a side.”

Taylor said.

Mike sighed.

“Cmon Taylor it’s just a style, I like it okay? Makes me feel.. comfortable.”

He peeped.

“Yeah yeah right “style” sure.”

Taylor gruffed.

“Then again, you always are cuter when you look like a girl~”

Taylor said as he grabbed Mike’s throat and kissed him.

Taylor pushed Mikey away and resumed his video game, acting like Mike had disappeared.

Mikey sniffled and fell back onto the creaky bunk bed mattress.

His head was killing him, a sharp pain deep in his abdomen.

He started rubbing his soft spot as Taylor piped up smugly.

“Looks like someone enjoyed that wet dream a little too much.”

Taylor laughed.

“D-did… did you…?”

Mike whimpered.

“Helped you out while you were asleep? Yes. You started humping me in your sleep so I thought I could let off some steam of my own.”

Taylor said nonshalontly.

“Taylor…. you know how I feel about that it-

“Yeah yeah yeah scares you yada yada yada whatever. I don’t give a fuck. You’re mine, act like it.”

Taylor cut Mike off with a growl.

Mike stuttered and balled up in the corner of the ritticky bed frame, against the cold, tar covered wall.

A police car cried as it drove past the window, adding to the sollem mood.

Mike turned on his phone and started playing a song, it was blaring and Mike quickly turned the volume down just as an anger filled yell erupted out of Taylor.

He had died in the video game.

“Fuck sakes! I just fucking died and it’s your fault! Ugh!!”

Taylor yowled, his controller thrown to the dirt soaked carpet.

“You wanna ruin my fun again? Huh!?!?”

Taylor raised his fist up pointing to Mikey.

Mike whimpered and curled further into a ball, raising his hands submissively.

“Please Taylor no…”

Mike cried, his voice low and defensive.

“Oh baby, I’d never hurt you. Come here, I’ll make it allllll better, c’mon baby”

Taylor ushered, his hands relaxed.

Mike’s relaxed slightly, he flinched at Taylor touching his cheek with his scarred and calloused fingers.

“Here here baby, cmon. My sweet baby gir- boy… my sweet baby”

Taylor said and he pulled Mike out of his ball and started hugging him and planting tender kisses on Mike’s neck and his temple.

His gentle touch soon turned gropey.

Mike shed away slightly.

“Heyyy come here~ I’m sorry I got angry, it was your fault though. Ever since I showed my mom that text I’ve been very pissed off. I didn’t rape you, you don’t just go around saying i did.”

Taylor gruffed.

“Taylor I didn’t! I only said you took advantage of me in my sleep a couple times. You showed it to your mom, not me.”

Mike said hurriedly.

“Wrath is getting mad baby, you know I get frustrated sometimes, you're my only vent. You make me feel alive. You’re the only person that listened to me and really cares about me. My little bunny.”

Taylor said as he bit into the side of Mike’s neck.

A pained whine escaping his lips as Taylor withdrew his teeth from Mike’s vulnerable skin.

“Please…. that really hurts…”

Mike whined.

“You deserve it after talking back to me.”

Taylor growled.

Mike took a long drag off his cheap vape, blowing the vapour up to the ceiling.

“...sorry…”

Mike peeped, his gaze fixed on his lap, not wanting to challenge Taylor.

Taylor reached over and put his hand around Mike’s throat, squeezing until Mike’s eyes fluttered closed.

“Look at my little bunny~ so obedient.”

Taylor cooed, his grip tightening.

Mike’s submissive omega side took over his brain, trying to calm him down.

“T-Taylor…”

Mike gasped.

“Uh uh uhhh”

Taylor totted.

“Be good for me bunny~”

Taylor growled.

Taylor lifted Mike’s shirt with his free hand, his fingers exploring as if it were the first time he felt Mike up.

Mike’s eyes shut tightly, expecting something that didn’t come.

“Here, you need to calm down”

Taylor said, releasing his hand from Mike’s throat and putting a blunt to his puffy lips.

Mike shuttered, he took the lighter and lit up as Taylor watched, almost looking infatuated with the action.

Mike finished part of the blunt, setting it down and taking a hull off the vape again.

His breath was shaky and faint.

“That’s better~”

Taylor said as he started stroking Mike’s forehead gently, pulling him into his lap.

“Now, I wanna have some fun. Don’t be a bitch now okay?”

Taylor stated.

He started rubbing Mike’s groin, His hand drifting up to Mike’s neck again but changing target.

A tight grasp on his shoulder, nails digging into his pale skin slightly.

Mike’s brain fogging up from the “affection” and the weed.

Mike didn’t struggle.

“Goood~ be a good bunny for me”

Taylor said pleasurably as he kept rubbing and squeezing.

xXx

Steady….steady….NOW!

The snap of the slingshot rang out, bouncing off the trees.

Birds flew up crying calls of warning.

The large grouse quickly dropped from the tree line along with a pillow of snow, its wing fluttered for a moment and then the life drained from its eyes.

“Yes!”

Mike celebrated to himself under his breath.

He got his knife out and placed the bird against a birch tree and slit its throat quickly.

He tied its legs up and strung it on his belt to bleed out while he continued to hunt.

Couple hours later he was exhausted, one grouse, one fat rabbit and two squirrels.

He propped all the catches up on a tree limb and started clearing a spot for a fire.

“Some jerky and some chicken fried rice! Yum!”

Mike yelped to himself.

He used a dead spruce branch to sweep away a fry spot to sit on a downed log and a fire pit spot.

He pulled out his raggy hammock and tied it to some trees with good sky coverage.

He skinned the rabbit and squirrels and dressed the bird to a T, gutting them and cutting all their head off to keep the skulls.

He cut the rodents into thin strips, keeping a couple legs to eat with the grouse and rice.

He had gathered some mushrooms and wild herbs to use in his wild caught dish.

His love of cooking that his mom instilled in him was coming out at his bountiful harvest.

He put the rabbit and squirrel on a clean skinned branch close to the fire to smoke them, save them for later.

His grouse smelled beautiful as he popped in some pine nuts, dried wild leek stalks and a pinch of “found” rosemary into his makeshift skillet along with some canned chicken broth.

The dented can being tossed behind his back to be saved for later.

He put the rice into a separate coffee tin close by, making sure to keep it in direct heat.

He also propped a large thin metal thermos near the fire to thaw some frozen milk in.

  
  


He snacked on pine nuts as he cooked his bird, the warm weather was slowly getting colder and the nights growing longer, he needed to stock up food soon.

He was only 17, he really is having a hard time trying to get back home in a blizzard.

He laid back onto his makeshift hammock he made out of road killed deer skins, it was warm and fuzzy but it was patchy in some places.

Expertly made sinew cord keeping the skins up and taught between the skinned tree limbs, the branches green and strong.

His rabbit fur mittens were hanging on a small branch close to his rucksack, his moose leather medicine pouch tied around one of the hammocks support cords next to it.

All his things were either stolen or made by himself.

He tanned skins and pelts in the spring, summer and early fall along with stockpiling food before the deadly winter would set in.

He was far from his home, he usually settled in the high foothills and would come down to the valley for hunting and scavenging.

But unluckily for him, he got sloppy in his planning and got caught in a wicked storm.

His usual hunting trip had gotten slowed when he decided to go further out in the valley and got caught by an early blizzard.

He was slowly working his way back home, tracking and tagging trees just to help identify his path for future reference.

He had an “interesting” way of tagging though, he would claw gashes into young trees so that when they would grow he could still identify them.

He lazed in his hammock, the fires light and heat staving off the boredom and bitter cold of the dark, long winter's night.

He rarely spoke nowadays, mostly growls and howls warming and keeping his vocal chords alive and used but tonight he wanted something to warm his heart.

“Bæ bæ lille lam

Har du noe ull?

Ja ja kjære barn,

jeg har kroppen full.

Søndagsklær til far,

og søndagsklær til mor,

og to par strømper til bitte lille bror.”

(Baa baa black sheep in norwegian)

He sang out into the cold night, his breath turning white and frozen as it ran like a rabbit into the black sky.

His silver eyes twinkled as he searched the sky for the moon, its crystal shine lit his eyes up.

“Oh my dear moon, you’re my only friend”

He sighed.

He caught a whiff of his grouse and hurried to get up, he lost his balance and fell face first into the cold ground.

“For fuck sakes…”

Mike gruffed, his nose throbbing and started to bleed.

He waltzed over to his fire wiping his nose, the rice was boiling and the grouse was slightly charred but not burned, the crispy, juicy skin looking like a five star meal.

He pulled them off the heat and sprinkled dried parsley on the grouse and some rock salt into his rice along with some handmade butter.

Said butter was made from stolen milk from some dairy cows a couple clicks away, his father taught him how to churn butter so it was easy.

It froze well in the cold weather and kept well in a jar or wax paper in bricks.

He poured the entire grouse stew into a large wooden bowl and scooped the soft, fluffy rice in alongside its protein packed savoury counterpart.

He could barely keep in his excitement and hunger as he strode back to his downed log.

He quickly grabbed his wooden spoon and dug in, his jaws warming quickly by the hot meal.

“Soooo goooodddd oh by the gods...!”

He mumbled.

His stomach aches from being too full by the time he finishes the bowl, downing it with the warm, steaming milk.

Though his belly was full of warm food and his spirit full of freedom, his heart was dull and cold.

It ached to cook food like this for someone else, for a friend or even, maybe, a lover.

His brain snapped and caved in on itself, he didn’t deserve to have someone who cared about him.

He was unlovable, angry and unworthy of love.

He slapped himself, his cheek stinging from both the slap and nipping cold.

A gust of chilling, whipping wind hitting him in the face right after.

“Yep, I deserved that, thank you moon”

He laughed.

The hearty chuckles splitting through the sound of the crackling fire as it spit sparks around its stone border.

He grabbed some snow and started cleaning out his bowl and wiping his spoon off and threw the snow into the fire, putting both pieces into a large drawstring net bag.

He balled up some more snowballs to clean his hands off and threw them into the fire to snuff it out a bit.

He let his hands warm and dry thanks to the fire and slipped his mittens on.

He pulled his coyote skin shawl onto himself, wrapping the warm fur up to his neck and tucked himself into his above ground, suspended bed.

The wind howled as it shook the tree tops, their needles screaming like searing charcoal.

As his eyes started to close, he heard the yelps and cries of other animals far away.

Their cries like a lullaby made to sooth the homesick.

His long thick furred hood keeping his ears and cheeks warm, his mitts keeping his hands toasty.

His eyes got heavier and heavier, they felt like weights pulling his eyelids down.

He let himself drift off, his stomach full and his body toasty warm.

  
  


xXx

The snow was like wet cement, his feet sinking in and getting sucked down further and further with each step.

He was trying to find the best tree branches to make snowshoes, thankfully a large blue spruce was close up ahead.

He kept trekking until he came to it, he tied a cord around it close to the base of some branches and started sawing off a couple thick furred limbs.

He tied them to his boots and kept walking.

xXx

He hung his bags up on the cabin's coat hooks and yanked his boots off, his toes wiggling in his thick fuzzy socks as they were freed.

He left them up by his stone stove to dry, he tossed in some dried logs and tinder and lit the stove up.

He swept the dust off the top of the stove with his small handheld willow broom and set his metal tin stove fan on top along with one of his cooking pots.

He tapped the stove top to see if it was warming up and dropped some water on it to know when it was hot enough to cook.

He pulled off his coat and hung it up next to the stove, along with his mittens which were soaked and dripping.

He stood close to the slowly growing fire and his tail wagged at the heat, it started steaming from the fire and the snow on it.

His ears twitched as he pulled icicles off of them, small clumps of coarse thick fur coming off with them.

The small tin fan started moving and Mike made his way back to his small oak table chair, his multiple laying slowly being peeled off himself and being hung up.

He pulled down his hunting pack and started pulling out his dried meat and hanging it up above the table on his hanging drying rack along with some fresh winter herbs to dry.

He unloaded the rest of his pack, putting his frozen items in his wood chest outside his cabin door, locking it as he went back inside.

He put some old mushroom soup in his pot and waited for it to heat up, he laid down on his bed, the warm furs covering him like warm snow.

He must have lost track of time because he closed his eyes and the next moment he heard his soup bubbling from across the room.

_ Fuck _ .

He managed to save his soup and added some dried chicken of the woods mushrooms along with some butter into it, making it extra rich and creamy.

He poured the soup into a large mug and started sipping the savoury “drink”, warming him from the inside out.

He finished the food and licked at the bottom of the mug then set it down and tucked himself in.

His warm stover started heating the entire house, his fur and skin completely dry and warm, settling into his bed.

He let himself fall asleep, he needed it because soon he’d have to deal with some heavy stuff.

  
  


Extra:

“Am I worth loving? Do I deserve to be loved? Nobody needs my problems on them, they’re just fine without me.”

Mike sighed, his claws scoring the birch trees bark like razors.

He took his anger out on the poor tree, it started bleeding sap like a gushing wound.

Mike watches as the fluid seeps out of the bark and starts dripping onto the frosty moss below.

“I need to calm down…”

Mike said under his breath, his claws retracting a bit as he let his shoulders relax.

He patted the tree, left and hummed as walked away happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The present time is still where Mike is 18 but these are put in the past.  
> Before he even moved close to town or met Gio.


End file.
